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Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has long been an important treatment option for women to alleviate symptoms of menopause, among other potential health benefits. Over the last two decades, however, HRT has been surrounded by confusing narratives about potential risks. We're convening an expert panel at the FDA on July... show more

Dr. Marty Makary

57,962 subscribers

277,913 views • 1 year ago •via X (Twitter)

Health & Wellness Science & Technology Education

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11 Comments

Dr. RungeKutta, MD, DO, PhD, RPh1 year ago

Thank you! Please don’t leave perimenopause out of the discussion. So many women are dismissed because they are “too young” or “xyz are not symptoms” or “your bloodwork looks fine” or “here’s a SSRI and an as needed controlled substance” I could go on :(

elizabeth bennett1 year ago

Thank you so much for taking on this very important topic in women’s health. Women have been suffering and under treated for far too long.

Dr. SpongeBob1 year ago

And yet you endorse killing children with unstudied mRNA gene therapy shots disguised as vaccines. You were a horrendous choice for this position and your right and man is an abomination.

Pfizer Stole My American 🇺🇸 Dream!1 year ago

Can you help me with my heart issues, continuing spike protein, auto immune disease, neurological symptoms, etc.. still waiting….

Farm or Pharma - Elaine Damerau Swanson, NTP1 year ago

SO overdue! Thank you for addressing this, and PLEASE be looking at Bioidentical Hormone Replacement vs synthetic!

Mobile Scanner1 year ago

Scan any documents, convert images into text, PDF files, etc. 👍

North Carolina Patriot1 year ago

Praise the Lord!

Thomas P Seager, PhD1 year ago

Another way to go is to rejuvenate the mitochondria that make sex hormones in the first place. Cold plunge does that for women (and men).

Leigh Forbes1 year ago

@US_FDA Hope that you dig into associated risks of breast cancer .

Beth JD1 year ago

Please release the recording afterwards - I cannot watch when you're holding the meeting.

NatalieJastrow1 year ago

Well this is something I can get behind.

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The potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women have been in the bucket of things that modern medicine has underappreciated, underrecognized, and underfunded. Women need to know the real data on this topic – not dogma.

The potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women have been in the bucket of things that modern medicine has underappreciated, underrecognized, and underfunded. Women need to know the real data on this topic – not dogma.

Dr. Marty Makary

748,354 views • 1 year ago

$My mother was among the 50 million+ women who were denied the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy. She later suffered multiple bone fractures – so I was struck when a NEJM randomized controlled trial found that HRT started within 10 years of the onset of menopause can reduce the risk of bone fractures by up to 50%.$

My mother was among the 50 million+ women who were denied the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy. She later suffered multiple bone fractures – so I was struck when a NEJM randomized controlled trial found that HRT started within 10 years of the onset of menopause can reduce the risk of bone fractures by up to 50%.

Dr. Marty Makary

144,878 views • 1 year ago

Approximately 5% of pregnant women take an SSRI for depression. But SSRI use during pregnancy has been linked in observational studies to birth defects, miscarriages, and neurological and behavioral challenges in childhood. On Monday, July 21 at 10 a.m. ET, we’ll be hosting an expert panel to discuss this important issue, including the current state of science and FDA product labels. Join us online:

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Dr. Marty Makary

200,865 views • 1 year ago

$Women have been misled by medical dogma for decades. It's time for the truth about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). As Dr. Marty Makary explains, the pervasive fear that HRT increases a woman's risk of dying from breast cancer is not supported by clinical trial data. This critical misunderstanding has robbed countless women of profound health benefits. The short-term relief from perimenopause symptoms—like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings—is well-known. But the long-term benefits are truly staggering and largely underappreciated: ✅ Cuts the risk of heart attacks by 25-50% (the #1 killer of women). ✅ Reduces the risk of cognitive decline & Alzheimer's by up to 64%. ✅ Slashes the risk of osteoporosis and debilitating bone fractures in half. When initiated within 10 years of perimenopause, HRT may be one of the most impactful preventive medications in modern history for improving women's long-term health outcomes on a population level. Yet, as Dr. Makary points out, it remains underrecognized, underappreciated, and underfunded. This is a pivotal issue in women's health that demands attention. Every woman deserves to know the real data, beyond the outdated dogma, to make an informed decision with her doctor.$

Women have been misled by medical dogma for decades. It's time for the truth about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). As Dr. Marty Makary explains, the pervasive fear that HRT increases a woman's risk of dying from breast cancer is not supported by clinical trial data. This critical misunderstanding has robbed countless women of profound health benefits. The short-term relief from perimenopause symptoms—like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings—is well-known. But the long-term benefits are truly staggering and largely underappreciated: ✅ Cuts the risk of heart attacks by 25-50% (the #1 killer of women). ✅ Reduces the risk of cognitive decline & Alzheimer's by up to 64%. ✅ Slashes the risk of osteoporosis and debilitating bone fractures in half. When initiated within 10 years of perimenopause, HRT may be one of the most impactful preventive medications in modern history for improving women's long-term health outcomes on a population level. Yet, as Dr. Makary points out, it remains underrecognized, underappreciated, and underfunded. This is a pivotal issue in women's health that demands attention. Every woman deserves to know the real data, beyond the outdated dogma, to make an informed decision with her doctor.

Camus

83,549 views • 1 year ago

Many women I see and speak to have been refused HRT for no medical reason. They have often been prescribed other medication to try and improve their menopausal symptoms including antidepressants, painkillers, sleeping tablets, anti hypertensives and statins. I have also seen women who have been given gabapentin, quetiapine and also ketamine for their low moods associated with their menopause. In this podcast, Jo talks openly about the medication she was given and the numerous menopausal symptoms she was experiencing which led her to a very dark place. It was only when she received the right dose and type of HRT she improved and has now stopped all these other medications. Receiving perimenopause and menopause advice and treatment is individualised. All women deserve to be listened to and receive the right type of HRT for them.

Many women I see and speak to have been refused HRT for no medical reason. They have often been prescribed other medication to try and improve their menopausal symptoms including antidepressants, painkillers, sleeping tablets, anti hypertensives and statins. I have also seen women who have been given gabapentin, quetiapine and also ketamine for their low moods associated with their menopause. In this podcast, Jo talks openly about the medication she was given and the numerous menopausal symptoms she was experiencing which led her to a very dark place. It was only when she received the right dose and type of HRT she improved and has now stopped all these other medications. Receiving perimenopause and menopause advice and treatment is individualised. All women deserve to be listened to and receive the right type of HRT for them.

Dr Louise Newson

201,380 views • 3 years ago

I often have women messaging me to ask if there is a cut off age for taking HRT, or to ask what age they need to stop HRT. The answer is that there is usually no set length of time you should take HRT for - the menopause is a long-term hormone deficiency so women can usually take HRT forever to replace these missing hormones. However, after the Women’s Health Initiative Study was published in 2002, many women have resisted taking HRT, especially after age 65 years, because of fears of perceived risks. However, a new study has been published today showing that these fears are unfounded. The study also showed that women who took oestrogen only HRT beyond the age of 65 was associated with significant risk reductions in mortality, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, congestive heart failure, venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, and dementia. There were also benefits to future health in women who took combination oestrogen and progesterone. The most benefit was with transdermal oestradiol and progesterone. If you haven’t yet read the study, I would really recommend you do. The link is here: It’s also worth listening to this podcast I recorded with Dr Anna Chiles who is a GP and works with us at Newson Health as a menopause specialist, as we talk more about continuing HRT for many years during that: This article we have on our @balancemenopause website is also worth a read:

I often have women messaging me to ask if there is a cut off age for taking HRT, or to ask what age they need to stop HRT. The answer is that there is usually no set length of time you should take HRT for - the menopause is a long-term hormone deficiency so women can usually take HRT forever to replace these missing hormones. However, after the Women’s Health Initiative Study was published in 2002, many women have resisted taking HRT, especially after age 65 years, because of fears of perceived risks. However, a new study has been published today showing that these fears are unfounded. The study also showed that women who took oestrogen only HRT beyond the age of 65 was associated with significant risk reductions in mortality, breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, congestive heart failure, venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction, and dementia. There were also benefits to future health in women who took combination oestrogen and progesterone. The most benefit was with transdermal oestradiol and progesterone. If you haven’t yet read the study, I would really recommend you do. The link is here: It’s also worth listening to this podcast I recorded with Dr Anna Chiles who is a GP and works with us at Newson Health as a menopause specialist, as we talk more about continuing HRT for many years during that: This article we have on our @balancemenopause website is also worth a read:

Dr Louise Newson

95,527 views • 2 years ago

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary calls the demonization of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for postmenopausal women “the biggest screw-up of modern medicine.” Key points from his explosive take: - A misinterpreted 2002 NIH study (led by a Fauci-like figure) claimed HRT causes breast cancer — but the increase was not statistically significant, and no subsequent study has shown increased breast cancer mortality. - Women were scared off a treatment that dramatically improves quality of life and extends life. - Benefits include: - 25–50% lower risk of fatal heart attacks (leading killer in women) - ~90% reduction in osteoporosis risk - Prevention of cognitive decline - Relief from severe symptoms lasting ~8 years on average (hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, painful sex, weight gain) - Marriages have been saved, lives improved — yet doctors were trained to dismiss symptoms as “tough it out” or prescribe antidepressants instead. - Starting HRT within ~10 years of menopause (ideally ~50) maximizes benefits and safety; after ~60, the risk-benefit shifts. Makary: This was dogma, not data — and it cost women decades of health. The tide is turning. Are you (or someone you know) reconsidering HRT after this? Raw, no-filter truth about one of the largest medical reversals in history

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Camus

107,192 views • 6 months ago

In the UK, only around 14% of menopausal women take HRT and this number usually shocks people. But as you can hear Dr Mary Claire Haver talk about here - in the US it is only 4% now, when just over 20 years ago it was around 40%. Much of this reduction in HRT use and the negativity regarding HRT stems from the misinterpretation of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study which was published in 2002. For those of you who don’t know much about this, in 1993, the WHI began a clinical trial looking at the health effects of women taking oestrogen-only or combined HRT compared to a placebo. In 2002, researchers halted the part of the study looking at women taking both oestrogen and progesterone (two hormones that decline during the perimenopause onwards) early over concerns there were small increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and blood clots. This led to confusion and concern from doctors and women worldwide, and in the UK women taking HRT fell sharply. But even with the older versions of HRT, the WHI researchers have subsequently acknowledged that HRT is the most effective treatment for managing menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and that taking oestrogen alone reduces the risk of breast cancer by 23% and death by breast cancer by 40%. It is time we move on from the misinterpretation of this study and allow more women to access hormone replacement if that is what they want.

In the UK, only around 14% of menopausal women take HRT and this number usually shocks people. But as you can hear Dr Mary Claire Haver talk about here - in the US it is only 4% now, when just over 20 years ago it was around 40%. Much of this reduction in HRT use and the negativity regarding HRT stems from the misinterpretation of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study which was published in 2002. For those of you who don’t know much about this, in 1993, the WHI began a clinical trial looking at the health effects of women taking oestrogen-only or combined HRT compared to a placebo. In 2002, researchers halted the part of the study looking at women taking both oestrogen and progesterone (two hormones that decline during the perimenopause onwards) early over concerns there were small increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and blood clots. This led to confusion and concern from doctors and women worldwide, and in the UK women taking HRT fell sharply. But even with the older versions of HRT, the WHI researchers have subsequently acknowledged that HRT is the most effective treatment for managing menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and that taking oestrogen alone reduces the risk of breast cancer by 23% and death by breast cancer by 40%. It is time we move on from the misinterpretation of this study and allow more women to access hormone replacement if that is what they want.

Dr Louise Newson

39,139 views • 2 years ago

$An estimated one in two women over 50 (who do not take HRT) worldwide will develop osteoporosis. This puts women at high risk of bone fractures, which can have a major impact on health, wellbeing and overall quality of life. With osteoporosis, prevention is better than treatment and the first step to prevention is awareness, which is why I think all women approaching the menopausal age should have a bone density scan. There is evidence that HRT can help protect bone health and reduce future risk of developing oestoporosis, so consider this treatment option to keep your bones strong.$

An estimated one in two women over 50 (who do not take HRT) worldwide will develop osteoporosis. This puts women at high risk of bone fractures, which can have a major impact on health, wellbeing and overall quality of life. With osteoporosis, prevention is better than treatment and the first step to prevention is awareness, which is why I think all women approaching the menopausal age should have a bone density scan. There is evidence that HRT can help protect bone health and reduce future risk of developing oestoporosis, so consider this treatment option to keep your bones strong.

Dr Louise Newson

43,520 views • 2 years ago

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Abraham Morgentaler, MD

20,650 views • 2 months ago

It’s been more than 20 years since media headlines about the Women’s Health Initiative study incorrectly linked HRT to an increased risk of breast cancer, but even today many women still avoid HRT because of perceived breast cancer fears. This misinformation is really damaging to women’s health, so on my podcast this week I invited Dr Avrum Bluming to join me. Avrum is a leading US oncologist and has spent 25 years studying the benefits and risks of HRT in breast cancer survivors. As you’ll hear in the episode, Avrum tells me about more recent studies that have shown that oestrogen alone decreases the risk of breast cancer development by 23% and the risk of death from breast cancer by 40%. Yet many people still do not realise this. It is so important that everyone knows the real story about the WHI study and the misreporting of the data so I really would recommend listening to the full episode:

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40,567 views • 2 years ago

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NewsWatch Plus PH

10,005 views • 3 years ago

If you’ve seen the headlines this morning debating whether menopause is a disease and being over-medicalised, this video explains my thoughts. Menopause is more than a collection of symptoms; it is a cardiometabolic and inflammatory condition which leads to an increased risk of numerous diseases. Menopause has been ‘medicalised’ for years – including with antidepressants, antipsychotics, painkillers, sleeping tablets, anticholinergics to treat bladder symptoms, and heart medications to lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and control palpitations. The first-line treatment for menopausal symptoms is body-identical HRT. Studies have shown that when women are given the right dose and type of hormones, their symptoms improve, and they have a lower future risk of numerous long-term inflammatory diseases associated with menopause including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, dementia, and depression as well as early death. Talking about menopause as being a ‘natural transition’ or part of ‘healthy ageing’ ignores the very real suffering of many women with menopausal symptoms.

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59,421 views • 2 years ago

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CBS News

18,888 views • 3 months ago

When it comes to transdermal HRT (oestrogen delivered through the skin via a patch, gel or spray) absorption is key for getting relief from symptoms. It’s well documented there can be wide variation in how our bodies absorb oestrogen and our Newson Health audit data has shown the same. Two women could be on the same dose of oestrogen but be absorbing quite different amount through their skin. That’s why some women need higher doses of oestrogen than others to achieve the same benefits. It is therefore really important that everyone receives an individualised dose that’s right for them. A big part of figuring out which dose you need is being aware of your symptoms and how they are improving, so I would recommend you download my free balance Menopause app and track your symptoms - many women find this really helps with treatment conversations with their healthcare professional. Many women find that their dose needs altering - either increase or reduce - with time so having regular reviews are really important for women taking HRT.

When it comes to transdermal HRT (oestrogen delivered through the skin via a patch, gel or spray) absorption is key for getting relief from symptoms. It’s well documented there can be wide variation in how our bodies absorb oestrogen and our Newson Health audit data has shown the same. Two women could be on the same dose of oestrogen but be absorbing quite different amount through their skin. That’s why some women need higher doses of oestrogen than others to achieve the same benefits. It is therefore really important that everyone receives an individualised dose that’s right for them. A big part of figuring out which dose you need is being aware of your symptoms and how they are improving, so I would recommend you download my free balance Menopause app and track your symptoms - many women find this really helps with treatment conversations with their healthcare professional. Many women find that their dose needs altering - either increase or reduce - with time so having regular reviews are really important for women taking HRT.

Dr Louise Newson

56,178 views • 3 years ago