Hormone Therapy: Biological, Social, and Medical Context

The question of why or whether women, in consultation with their physicians, should choose hormone therapy (HT) in response to menopause represents a renewed controversy at the beginning of the new century. Conflicting messages regarding the health risks and benefits of HT have been conveyed in the mainstream media, especially information in the media about the results of large-scale studies of the health impact of hormone therapy. Women who have been on one or another of the hormone replacement regimes have been forced to reconsider continuing on HT. Doctors who prescribe these hormones to their patients are somewhat confused, as are perimenopausal women who are considering HT. Pharmaceutical companies that produce these compounds are worried. And public health officials are on the defensive.