Oestrogen replacement--a boon or a curse?

The decline in oestrogen secretion at the time of the menopause may give rise to symptoms involving the genital and autonomic nervous systems. There is evidence that it may also contribute to the incidence of psychological features, such as depression, and to the development of post-menopausal osteoporosis. Oestrogen replacement therapy clearly reverses the genital changes and the hot flushes, and may prevent the development of osteoporosis and lead to improvement in depression. Recent evidence indicates an association between oestrogen replacement therapy and endometrial cancer, although the exact nature of the relationship, and the factors which might alter it, remain unknown. Current data do not permit the physician to make a decision with conviction concerning the indications for, nature of and duration of oestrogen replacement in the symptomatic post-menopausal woman, but it is recommended that she be given such therapy in effective dosage and in association with regular progestagen supplement in order to achieve medical curettage. Further research is required in order to resolve many of the relevant controversies.