A study about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in
menopause (yes, an issue that just goes round and round and round) just
published in JAMA Internal Medicine
was reported with some very interesting headlines.
Basically, the study found that giving HRT to younger
women (aged 50-55) going through menopause, something that’s become quite
trendy, offers no benefit in terms of cognitive function.
Nor does it harm cognitive function.
Most headlines covering this story were accurate and
pointed out that there was neither a benefit nor a risk from using HRT in young
women.
A couple of headlines, though, including one for a medical
web site that is widely read by doctors reported the study as No Mental Harm
from HRT in Early Menopause.
I mean, given that HRT is being pushed once again on this
cohort for its reputed benefits and given that most experts believe that the
risks are pretty well documented now, seems to me that it would be the lack of
benefit that would be the most important part of this story to report.
But in fact, in this article that is meant to help doctors
decide what to do in respect to HRT, it wasn’t until the 4th
paragraph in the story that the reporter stated that “the results showed no obvious
benefits of HRT with respect to cognitive function.”
Curious.
