The estrogen window

In the 1990's estrogen was the most prescribed medicine in the United States. But in 2002, a study came out saying estrogen hormones caused an increased health risk, causing a lot of concern for women. Now, one researcher says it's time to rethink hormone therapy during a specific period of time during menopause -- more on the estrogen window.

Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and more are all uncomfortable symptoms of menopause.

For the past decade and a half, many women have shunned hormone replacement therapy after reports that hormones could increase the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Mache Seibel, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, says those life-threatening claims were off-base. Dr. Seibel says estrogen replacement therapy, when done at the right time, is safe and highly effective.

"The right time is what I call the estrogen window. And the estrogen window, is a window of time that begins when menopause begins and continues roughly for about ten years," Mache Seibel, MD, Author of The Estrogen Window and The Estrogen Fix, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, explained.

Karen started hormone replacement therapy a year ago.

"I was having a great deal of brain fog, my skin felt very dry, I was suddenly having weight gain, especially in the middle area," Karen recalled.

Studies now prove estrogen is both safe and beneficial for most women early in their menopause.

"Estrogen by itself can actually lower the risk of breast cancer by 23 percent. It can lower the risk of heart disease by 32 percent," Dr. Seibel stated.

Karen said to Dr. Seibel, "I know my long-term health is going to be better and I know I'll be avoiding potentially some very grave diseases by taking the hormone replacement therapy and the frosting on the cake is that my symptoms go away, so I love that."

Experts say it's important to point out that starting estrogen hormones after that ten-year menopausal window has closed might not be as safe. Six thousand women a day go through menopause, equaling two million women a year.