HRT and the Women's Health Initiative

On Sunday, March 29 the Adult Forum will host Dr. Brooks Pond who will speak on the most recent findings of the Women's Health Initiative with respect to hormone replacement therapy.

Here's her synopsis of her talk:

"Is hormone replacement therapy right for you?
Menopause, which occurs in women at an average age of 51, results in diminished ovarian secretion of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This results in a number of consequences, including “hot flashes”, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and urinary symptoms. In addition, post-menopausal women have a greater risk for coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. As a result, there has been a focus on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women, which may include estrogen therapy or combined estrogen-progestin therapy. Although these hormones provide some obvious benefits during the reproductive years, there was still some concern about negative consequences of HRT after menopause. Therefore, in 1991, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and other units of the National Institutes of Health launched the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), one of the largest studies of its kind ever undertaken in the U.S. The WHI study comprised two large clinical trials including estrogen-only and combined estrogen-progesterone studies that sought to determine definitively the benefits and possible risks of HRT in postmenopausal women. However, both trials were stopped early due to adverse effects. As a result, there is still quite a bit of debate and confusion among clinicians, researchers, and the public at large regarding HRT. In this discussion, we will examine the findings and limitations of the WHI in order to gain a better understanding of the safety and benefits of HRT."

Brooks is a native of Kingsport. She graduated from Centre College (Ky) prior to entering the Ph.D. program in pharmacology at Duke University Medical Center. Following her Ph.D. she worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Dr. Pond is currently on the faculty in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Gatton College of Pharmacy at ETSU.

As always, please accept our warm welcome to join us on Sunday morning.