Some women view hormone replacement therapy as a blessed relief from the miseries of menopause.
Others are reluctant to tinker with their body chemistry. In HRT, estrogen is usually combined with progestin, a synthetic progesterone, to duplicate the hormone levels that occur naturally during the menstrual cycle. This combo, thought to be safer than estrogen alone, is prescribed for women who had their ovaries surgically removed or women who suffer severe menopausal side effects. It may also be prescribed to prevent or treat osteoporosis. A 1991 National Institutes of Health study concluded that estrogen significantly reduces a woman's risk of heart disease.