Before July 2002, six million American women were taking a combination hormone pill containing estrogen and progestin. For years, doctors across the nation had prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) not only to relieve the hot flashes, night sweats, and depression that often accompany menopause, but also as a form of protection against heart disease. But then federal researchers discovered that the opposite was true: for some women, HRT actually increased the risk of heart disease, stroke, and blood clots, as well as breast cancer. Because of these risks, the National Institutes of Health abruptly halted a huge study of HRT, leaving millions of women in the lurch.

Should you continue to take HRT, and if you have to stop, what are your alternatives? The lead investigator on the federal study, Dr. Marcia Stefanick, has some answers. So do doctors, researchers, and alternative practitioners who are closely following the HRT controversy.

Click to listen to Consumer Health Interactive's in-depth audio report (6:54 min). If you'd like to read the audio script, click here.

Digital Audio Team

Reporter, Writer, and Digital Audio Editor: Laurie Udesky

Producer: Laurie Udesky

Script Editors: Diana Hembree and Elaine Herscher

Script Graphics: Psyche Pascual

Introductory Narration: Michael Johnson

Multimedia Editor: Deepi Brar

Web Engineering: Rusty Hodge

Scheduling: Sahana Behera

(If you don't hear anything, try turning up the volume of your computer speakers. If you don't notice anything loading at all, you probably need to download and install the free Flash Player. Click on one of the buttons to get the free software from Macromedia Inc.)

or

(A larger program that includes the Flash Player.)

First published January 16, 2003
Last updated May 6, 2008
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive