Symposium
Following the WHI findings, published in 2002, we witnessed a long period of reticence, both on the part of gynecologists and patients, as regards prescribing and taking HRT. Ten years later, the thinking began to change. Several international publications appeared, confirming that HRT was not a danger to patients, on the contrary it provided positive benefits to menopausal women. The IMS confirmed this in their last recommandations, published in 2016. EMAS and NICE came to the same conclusions. In summer 2017,a wave of publications, namely, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist and American College of Endocrinology showed the same findings. The latest conclusions from KEEPS confirm these tendancies. Furthermore, one of the members involved in the WHI, J.A Manson, said, in Jama (Oct. 2017): »Taking HRT caused no more mortality than a placebo « !. The medical community were able to start looking at HRT treatment as a positive contribution to menopausal women. But there is still a lot of work to be done in the field to eliminate fears. Information and training are the keys to ensuring that gynecologists integrate these findings into their treatment protocols. Patients must be made aware of the positive benefits of HRT: prevention of various, hormono-linked pathologies (CVD,Osteoporosis..), improved QOL. In conclusion, it is vital to communicate to both gynecologists and patients that the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks.