HRT (hormone replacement therapy)

Hormone replacement therapy is the use of estrogen, progesterone, or both to manage moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms. HRT is the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms and helps with related sleep disturbance, mood, and vaginal atrophy. Modern guidelines (NAMS 2022, ACOG 2023) recommend HRT for symptomatic women under age 60 or within 10 years of menopause onset, after individualized risk assessment.

Black women are underprescribed HRT relative to white women in US clinical practice, despite the documented longer VMS duration in Black women. The 2002 WHI study's revised interpretation should not be a barrier to appropriate HRT prescription.