Older Women Should Not Take Hormones to Prevent Chronic Diseases

This should be reassuring to women who need short-term hormone therapy to manage menopausal symptoms, Lewis and Wenger both noted.

As for cardiovascular prevention, Wenger said, “The American Heart Association’s ‘Life’s Simple 7,’ addressing initially lifestyle and, if needed, medications to prevent cardiovascular risk, is the widely accepted preventive approach.”

The full USPSTF recommendation statement was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, along with a separate report documenting the evidence supporting the recommendations.

Reference

1. Gartlehner G, Patel SV, Feltner C, et al. Hormone Therapy for the Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions in Postmenopausal Women: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
   JAMA. 2017 Dec 12;318(22):2234-2249.