The aging woman: the role of medical therapy

The growth of the postmenopausal population demands a change in the medical profession's approach to health and disease. Especially in the developed world, lifespan is increasing, and at the age of 60 the majority of women will still have at least 20 years to live. There will, therefore, be an increasing need for health programs that lead to more years of disability free life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is but one example of the dilemmas medical therapy of the aging woman poses. In the sixties, estrogen was considered a wonder drug, effective for a multitude of postmenopausal problems and illnesses. Recent research has placed this notion into a more balanced perspective, emphasizing that every medical treatment should be based on evidence. It is therefore worrisome if the decline in the use of HRT is followed by an increased use of alternative medicine with mostly undocumented effects.