Wall Street Journal Examines Missed Messages on Benefits Of Menopause HormoneS

Copyright 2007 Wall Street Journal, written by Tara Parker-Pope

Do menopause hormones protect a woman's heart?

It's a question most doctors stopped asking nearly five years ago when the first results of the Women's Health Initiative study showed a higher risk of heart problems among older hormone users.

Now it may be time to start asking it again.

A re-analysis of the WHI data, published last week, has raised that question and new ones about the potentially protective effects of hormones on younger women who use them at the beginning of menopause.

(visit the WSJ forum "The Real Risks and Benefits of Hormone Therapy")