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News Feature: Hormone in the hot seat

Nature Medicine volume 12, pages 8–9 (2006)Cite this article

Three years after scientists declared estrogen harmful to the heart, some say the hormone was unfairly maligned. Apoorva Mandavilli finds out why it's time to reopen the debate.

For millions of women, the news was downright disheartening. After decades of touting estrogen as a fountain of youth, scientists announced in July 2002 that taking a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone makes menopausal women slightly more likely to have breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes1.

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  1. Apoorva Mandavilli is Nature Medicine's senior news editor.

    • Apoorva Mandavilli
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  1. Apoorva Mandavilli
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A winning combination

Long-term hormone replacement linked to breast cancer

Reexamining estrogen

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Women's Health Initiative

KEEPS study

Early Versus Late Intervention Trial

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Mandavilli, A. News Feature: Hormone in the hot seat. Nat Med 12, 8–9 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0106-8

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