Still more news on HRT and heart attacks

The findings from the federal Women’s Health Initiative study of hormone replacement therapy are beginning to sound all-too-familiar. Last year, preliminary findings showed a higher risk of heart attack among women taking Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin prescribed for menopausal symptoms. Today’s New England Journal of Medicine reports the risk is highest in the first year women take the pills -- which ought to add further caution to women and doctors considering HRT, even for short-term use.

The overall risk is six more heart attacks annually per 10,000 women. To read more, click here.