How One Study Set Women’s Health Back Decades

In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study changed everything.

Almost overnight, menopause hormone therapy—once widely used to manage symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, and vaginal dryness—was cast aside in fear. 

The WHI trial linked hormone therapy to increased breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke risk. 

Women panicked. Doctors stopped prescribing it. And millions of women were left to suffer through menopause without support.

But here’s what isn’t talked about enough:

The WHI study was flawed.

It used only one type of estrogen—conjugated equine estrogens (CEE)—derived from pregnant horses. And it paired this with a synthetic progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate or MPA). The trial wasn’t designed for symptom management in women starting menopause. 

Most of the women in the study were, on average, 63 years old—many a decade past the onset of menopause. They were not the typical candidate for hormone replacement.

Yet the fear stuck. And we’re still paying the price.

Today, many women believe hormone therapy is dangerous or not for them. They think it’s one-size-fits-all, high-dose, and unmonitored. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

We now have:

• Bioidentical hormone options that match the structure of your body’s natural hormones

• Multiple delivery methods: patches, gels, creams, lozenges, capsules, pessaries

• Personalised protocols, starting with the lowest effective dose and titrated as needed

• Better monitoring, based on symptoms, clinical review, and updated pathology

• Adjunct treatments, like testosterone for genitourinary symptoms and libido, and DHEA for mood, energy, and vaginal health

Hormone therapy isn’t about “replacing youth” or “staying young.” It’s about restoring what’s missing, reducing suffering, and protecting your long-term health—including your brain, bones, and cardiovascular system.

If you’re still cautious about starting MHT, there is also a complementary medicine hormone support toolkit worth exploring. 

This includes targeted herbal and nutritional therapies for hormone regulation, stress and sleep support, liver detoxification strategies, and blood sugar regulation—all of which can help ease the hormonal transition and support estrogen and progesterone balance naturally.

You deserve a treatment plan that meets you where you are—whether that’s hormone therapy, complementary support, or a mix of both.

If you've been told hormone therapy isn’t an option—or you’ve been too scared to ask—know this:

We’ve learned a lot in the past 20 years.

And it’s time women had access to the right information and support to make informed decisions about their hormonal health.