April 2007
A new report has concluded that the risk of heart disease and stroke increases with age for women using postmenopausal hormone therapy. Use of estrogen and estrogen-plus-progestin treatments presented the most life-threatening results for women in their 60s and 70s, while women in their 50s did not see significant adverse affects.
The estrogen-plus-progestin treatment, Prempro, faced strong criticism in 2002 for its risks of blood clot, breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke. Another study found that estrogen alone raised the risk of stroke for women using hormone therapy.
In the current study, danger of heart disease was greatest for women over 60 still experiencing hot flashes. The study did not find that the risk of breast cancer varied by age group.