All menopause treatments containing the hormone estrogen are mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration to carry a black box warning on the label, stating that the treatments could increase the risk of strokes, blood clots, dementia and breast cancer.
Now, that advisory may be going away. Last week, a panel of experts convened by the FDA urged the federal agency to remove the cautionary language on at least some forms of hormone therapy.
What to know about menopause, according to a doctor
I wanted to understand more about why these warnings were first added and the arguments for and against removing them now. What are hormone therapies used for, and what are the different forms of treatment? What is the history behind adding black box warnings, and why are some experts pushing to remove them? What should women know about managing menopause symptoms?
I turned to CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen to answer these questions. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore’s health commissioner.
