(WKBW/ABC News) An independent group of national experts is updating its recommendations on hormone replacement therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women involves administering female hormones called estrogens, but its use is controversial.
Now the United States Preventative Task Force has updated its
recommendation for the first time since 2005 with a thumbs down.
After reviewing fifty-one studies from the last ten years, the group argues against routinely prescribing hormone therapy to post-menopausal women, citing significant risks of dementia and breast cancer.
And it recommends against giving estrogen to women who have had
hysterectomies after hitting menopause.
The finding does not apply to doctors using hormones to treat specific side effects of menopause such as hot flashes.
But, in general, the panel says the harms of hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of chronic conditions outweigh the benefits.