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Estrogen Therapy For The Heart Women are lucky. It is unusual for a woman to get coronary artery blockages or to have heart attacks before menopause. At the time of menopause a woman's ovaries stop secreting estrogen (the female hormone) and it is that time that women start getting heart problems at the same rate that men do. Estrogen pills have been used for decades for birth control, to lessen the symptoms of menopause, to prevent osteoporosis and possibly to help prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Women on estrogens need to be closely followed by their doctor because estrogens have been found to increase some kinds of cancers and to increase the risk of blood clots. Several observational studies have found that women who are taking estrogen pills after menopause have a 30-50% reduction in death from heart disease as compared to women who are not taking estrogens. It has not been certain what these findings mean, however, because it was also found that women on estrogen therapy tend to smoke less, eat better and get more regular preventative care. Last month a very important study called the HERS trial was reported in the medical literature. In this study nearly 3,000 women who had coronary artery disease and were postmenopausal were followed for 4 years. Half of the women were given estrogens (along with another female hormone called progesterone) and half were given a placebo (sugar pill). Unfortunately, in this study estrogens did not seem to help prevent heart attacks or death in women. Doctors are awaiting the results of several more large controlled studies of estrogens that are expected to be reported in the next few years to give the final answer. New drugs that work like estrogens are being developed. One called raloxifene is currently available to treat osteoporosis. For now:
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