The onset of menopause presents a complex set of questions to many women. The purpose of HRT is to restore the body's hormone levels to a premenopausal state. Yet enthusiasm for HRT is often dimmed, if not doused outright, by fears that such therapy may cause serious side effects. The media can play an important role in a woman's decision to accept or reject hormone replacement. Findings from recent studies have suggested that women tend to learn about HRT from the media and from their friends.
Many women rely on magazines, in particular, for health information.
Unfortunately, ACSH's surveys have found that these magazines often fail to provide their readers either with sound health advice or with accurate scientific information. In the survey summarized in this report, ACSH scientists evaluated 16 magazines' coverage of hormone replacement therapy. All of the magazines surveyed have readerships over 2 million. Taken together, the magazines have a median readership age of at least 40 years. ACSH was pleased to find that when reporting on the issue of HRT, these 16 popular magazines generally appear to present information fairly and sensibly.