More confusion about hormone therapy; But help is on the way

Another day, another article with confusing information about hormone therapy for menopausal women. We've heard doctors and researchers comment on the effects of hormones on breasts, bones, hearts and even hearing. Now a new (to us at least) aging issue has entered the picture...diabetes.

The North American Menopause Society updated its recommendations for women considering menopause hormones and for the first time they stated that the risk of diabetes appears to be lower in women who use hormones. This news may cause more confusion that joy for women trying to decide whether or not to undergo hormone therapy. Fortunately there is good news on that front. Tara Parker-Pope, Health Matters contributor to the WSJ, has authored a book on this topic entitled "The Hormone Decision."

According to Parker-Pope:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seven out of every 1,000 women will be diagnosed with diabetes. And the risk is growing. In 2004, the incidence of diabetes increased by 34% among people between the ages of 45 and 64, jumping to 11.4 cases per 1,000 people from 8.5 cases in 1997.

What's surprising is that a number of well-regarded studies show that hormone use dramatically lowers diabetes risk, but that fact is virtually ignored when experts talk about the risks and benefits of menopause hormones. In fact, the Women's Health Initiative, which was stopped early in 2002 because hormone use in older women was linked with a higher risk of heart attack, also showed that hormone use dramatically lowered the risk for diabetes.

According to the WHI, women who used estrogen and progestin were 21% less likely to develop diabetes, and women who used estrogen by itself were 12% less likely to develop the disease. That translates to about 15 fewer cases per 10,000 women each year. And the WHI isn't the only study to show the benefit. A major study called the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study showed that the combination of estrogen and progestin reduced the chance of developing diabetes by 35%.

It's not clear exactly how hormones influence diabetes risk and many doctors agree that lowering diabetes risk isn't reason enough to take hormones (but talk to your doctor especially if diabetes runs in your family). But the hormone question is one of the most important decisions facing menopausal women and this is an area where the there is more data than there is understanding--the perfect prescription for a well-researched, on-topic book that clarifies the treatment’s risks and benefits..