The Network speaks out…Some things aren’t for KEEPS

I didn’t expect to write to you today, but when I heard the results of a new study that was published on-line just last night, I knew that you would want to know what the Network thinks. According to this study, menopause hormone therapy (HT) does not stop hardening of the arteries, an important cause of heart disease, even if women begin taking hormones as soon as they go through menopause. That’s big news, because for too long, menopausal women and their doctors have been told that hormone therapy helps prevent heart disease.

Here’s what we learned from the new study. It’s called KEEPS, which stands for Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study. It tested the theory that giving women estrogen immediately after menopause will safeguard women against heart disease by protecting women’s arteries. Seven hundred twenty-seven women volunteered to be randomly assigned either an estrogen pill or patch, plus a progesterone capsule, or look-alike placebos. The women were given special ultrasounds and x-rays to evaluate the thickness of their arteries and the amount of plaque build-up. After 4 years, there were no differences. Estrogen pills and patches had no effect on age-related progression of hardening of the arteries.


This study is another blow to the old-fashioned idea that women’s femininity decays after menopause, and that the only way to age healthfully is to “replace” hormones with pills, patches, creams and sprays. An entire generation of physicians and women were shaped by this message, and millions of women took menopause HT, not to treat any symptoms, but because their doctor (and Big Pharma) told them it would help them stay young.

Thanks to your help, the Network has been able to challenge this disrespectful and unscientific view of women’s bodies. Because we don’t take money from drug companies, we are free to speak out. We insisted that women deserved to know exactly how menopause HT affected their health. The government listened to us and funded the Women’s Health Initiative, which showed that menopause HT caused more problems than it prevented in mid-life and older women. We’re proud of our role in helping women avoid unnecessary risks posed by HT products that weren’t helping them.


But sometimes old attitudes (and Big Pharma’s profit motive) die hard. Proponents of menopause HT are still outspoken in support of the idea that women’s bodies aren’t equipped to age healthfully without taking hormones. Their latest attempt to justify their opinion was the theory that the timing of menopause HT is crucial. The publication of the results of the KEEPS study should put an end to that theory, and to the continued promotion of menopause HT as a prevention strategy. Make a donationtoday to ensure that the Network can always speak up and set the record straight on issues that affect women’s health.


Thank you,

Cindy Pearson

Executive Director