Abstract
The studies Women?s Health Initiative and Million Women Study have made a stir in the question of risks of hormonal substitution therapy (HRT) mainly due to the risks of cardiovascular problems and breast cancer. Both the studies were analyzed and criticized at the 14th meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) in September 2003 where the principles of safe HRT were accepted with the consensus of the 14 most significant representatives of the NAMS.
These principles regard HRT safe for up to 5 years for safe and postmenopausal osteoporosis as a good indication for this treatment. As for prevention of cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer dementia, HRT has a positive effect if started at the onset of menopause.
It is necessary to know the differences in the risk of treatment by estrogens only (ERT, ET), where the risk of breast cancer is fourfold lower than in combined estrogen-progesterone HRT (EPT) treatment.