title: The Women's Health Initiative conundrum.
abstract: The WHI has been designed to evaluate the metabolic risks and benefits of Estrogen/Progestagen Therapy (HT) or Estrogen Therapy (ET) in women in their later postmenopause. It has not been designed to study the effect of HT or ET on symptomatic peri- and early postmenopausal women. Furthermore, the selection criteria used in the WHI are not congruent with the profiles of women treated in daily medicine by HT/ET: women starting HT/ET in clinical routine are younger, less obese and healthier than the WHI population. Therefore, the results and the risk-benefit-conclusions of the WHI cannot be applied to normal symptomatic peri- and immediately postmenopausal women, and even less to women with early (40-50 years) or premature (40 yrs.) menopause.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Birkhaeuser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015982:Bias; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D045167:Progesterone Congeners / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012107:Research Design; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D045167:Progesterone Congeners; D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate