“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)
is a long-term national health study funded by the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, or NHLBI”.1
Date
What can it be important to be clear about with hormone therapy (HT) information?
It can be important to be clear about the date of all information including the date of HT information, because this information may have been updated.
Symptoms or Chronic Conditions
What can it also be important to be clear about with HT information?
It can also be important to be clear about whether HT information is about the use of HT for the management of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness; or for the prevention of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures.
Women’s Health Initiative
What is the (United States) Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)?
In About WHI the WHI elaborate on:
“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is a long-term national health study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, or NHLBI”.2
Goal
What is the goal of the WHI?
In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? the (United States) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) explain:
“The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is a long-term national health study that focuses on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. These chronic diseases are the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds”.3
Original WHI Study Dates
When was the original WHI study?
In About WHI the WHI note:
“The original WHI study began in the early 1990s and concluded in 2005”.4
Original WHI Study
In the original WHI study, what were the three parts?
In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? the NHLBI explain:
“The original WHI study had three parts—a clinical trial, an observational study, and a community prevention study—and completed data collection in 2005”.5
Expectations
What did the WHI’s researchers expect to find in their two studies in the hormone trial?
On page one in the NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI Ten Years Later the North American Menopause Society explain:
“Researchers expected to find that hormones prevented chronic conditions of aging in women, including heart disease. Instead, they found that hormones produced a mix of risks and benefits”.6
Heart Disease
What did the WHI find about hormone replacement therapy and heart disease?
In Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): At A Glance the NHLBI note:

- “The WHI found that hormone replacement therapy did not prevent heart disease in postmenopausal women as once thought”.7
Extension Studies
What are the WHI’s extension studies?
In About WHI the WHI explain:
“Since 2005, the WHI has continued as Extension Studies, which are annual collections of health updates and outcomes in active participants. The second Extension Study enrolled 93,500 women in 2010 and follow-up of these women continues annually”.8
Extension Studies Main Areas of Research
What are the extension studies main areas of research?
In About WHI the WHI elaborate on:
“As with the original WHI study, the main areas of research are cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoporotic fractures. While WHI continues to focus on strategies to prevent the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in older women, the breadth and richness of the WHI data allow for the exploration and investigation of many more research questions on women’s health and aging”.9
Health Care Provider
What if I choose to use HT?
On page one in The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement, published 07 July 2022 and “endorsed by more than 20 well-respected international organizations”, the North American Menopause Society note:
- “Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and has been shown to prevent bone loss and fracture”.10
Health Topics A-Z
Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to the Women’s Health Initiative?
In Health Topics A-Z you may find:
Health Topics A-Z
- Hormone Therapy
- Hormone Therapy 2016 Revised Global Consensus Statement
- Hormone Therapy 2022 Update for Chronic Conditions
- Hormone Therapy Benefits and Risks
- Hormone Therapy Videos
- Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Plus Progestogen Therapy
- Hormone Therapy and Estrogen Therapy
- Menopause
- Menopause Videos 2023
- Postmenopause and Chronic Disease Prevention
Links
Where may I find Links related to Women’s Health Initiative?
Your Country may have Links similar to:
Links
This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.New or Updated
- Association Between Insomnia, Stress Events, and Other Psychosocial Factors and Incident Atrial Fibrillation In Postmenopausal Women: Insights From the Women’s Health Initiative
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Change In Physical Activity In the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Therapy Clinical Trials
- Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
- Reappraising 21 Years of the WHI Study: Putting the Findings In Context for Clinical Practice
- The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Findings In Context
- ‘Tis But A Scratch: A Critical Review of the Women’s Health Initiative Evidence Associating Menopausal Hormone Therapy With the Risk of Breast Cancer [18 October 2023]
- ACOG Explains: Managing Menopause Symptoms [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] [October 2023]
- About WHI
- Association Between Insomnia, Stress Events, and Other Psychosocial Factors and Incident Atrial Fibrillation In Postmenopausal Women: Insights From the Women’s Health Initiative
- BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
- BMS TV: Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
- BMS TV: HRT and Breast Cancer: Overall Risks and Benefits
- BMS TV: HRT and the Risk of Breast Cancer
- BMS TV: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- BMS TV: Testosterone Explained
- Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
Blood Pressure Control and Glaucoma Risk In Postmenopausal Women: An Analysis From the Women’s Health Initiative
- Build Better Bones.org [International Osteoporosis Foundation]
- Chocolate Consumption In Relation To All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality In Women: The Women’s Health Initiative
- Continuous Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Tablets, Capsules and Patches
- Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
- Dr Louise Newson: The Truth About the Menopause & HRT
- Estrogen, Hormone Therapy and Menopause
- Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
- Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
- Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
- Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women]
- Guidance on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- HRT & Menopause Extra
- HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
- HRT: Benefits and Risks
- HRT: Summary
- HRT: The History – HRT Timeline
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Hormone Therapy In Postmenopausal Persons: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
- Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
- Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
- I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – E9: The Menopause: Can Every Woman That Wants It Have HRT?
- Infertility and Risk of Heart Failure In the Women’s Health Initiative
- Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
- Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
- Longitudinal Patterns of Abdominal Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue, Total Body Composition, and Anthropometric Measures In Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women’s Health Initiative
- Managing Your Symptoms
- Mayo Clinic Q and A: Lifestyle Changes To Reduce Heart Attack and Stroke Risk
- Mayo Clinic Q and A: Perimenopause Transitions and Concerns
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy Trends Before Versus After 2002: Impact of the Women’s Health Initiative Study Results
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cancer
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Change In Physical Activity In the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Therapy Clinical Trials
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Venous Thromboembolism
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke
- Menopause
- Menopause
- Menopause
- Menopause Management Options
- Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
- Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
- Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
- Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Common Conditions Associated With Menopause and Midlife
- Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
- Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Woman’s Empowerment Guide
- Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
- Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
- Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormone Therapy and Other Treatments With Madelyn Butler, MD [Podcast]
- Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 256
- Mymenoplan.org [My Menoplan, United States]
- NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI 10 Years Later
- Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
- Nonhormone Treatments for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
- Oestrogen Tablets, Patches, Gel and Spray
- Pathtogoodbonehealth.org [Your Path To Good Bone Health, Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation, United States]
- Perimenopause
- Perimenopause
- Persistent Gap In Menopause Care 20 Years After the WHI: A Population-Based Study of Menopause-Related Symptoms and Their Management
- Psychosocial Stress and Bone Loss Among Postmenopausal Women: Results From the Women’s Health Initiative
- Reappraising 21 Years of the WHI Study: Putting the Findings In Context for Clinical Practice
- Revised Global Consensus Statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- Sequential Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Tablets and Patches
- The 2023 Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing Menopause
- The Menopause: After the Menopause
- The Truth About Hormone Therapy for Menopause
- The Women’s Health Initiative
- The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Findings In Context
- The Women’s Health Initiative Study and Hormone Therapy – What Have We Learned 10 Years On?
- Therapy for the Effects of Menopause
- Tibolone
- Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
- ‘Tis But A Scratch: A Critical Review of the Women’s Health Initiative Evidence Associating Menopausal Hormone Therapy With the Risk of Breast Cancer
- Types of Hormone Therapy
- Vaginal Oestrogen
- Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
- Video Series-2023: Menopause and Heart Disease
- Video Series-2023: Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Menopause Experience
- Video: Leslie Cho, MD, Discusses CV Risks, Benefits of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Cardiovascular Disease In Women
- Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: Prevention of Chronic Diseases In Women: Where Does MHT Fit In?
- Videos and Podcasts: Videos – Interviews: The Women’s Health Initiative – What Can We Believe?
- Webinars: Previous – Clinical Climacteric Conundrums
- Webinars: Previous – Cardiovascular Disease
- Webinars: Previous – Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease With MHT – Where Are We Now?
- What Is Menopause? [+ Video]
- Women’s Health Initiative
- Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)
- World Menopause Day
- World Menopause Day [18 October 2023]: Patient Information Leaflet
Sources
Where may I find the Sources quoted?
You may find the Sources quoted at:
Sources
- About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): What Is the Goal of the WHI? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- NAMS Journal Menopause Reflects on the WHI Ten Years Later. 29 May 2012:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-document-library/pr12whi.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Accessed: 01 December 2023
- Women’s Health Initiative (WHI): At A Glance. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/womens-health-initiative-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- About WHI. Women’s Health Initiative https://www.whi.org/about-whi Accessed: 01 December 2023
- The North American Menopause Society Releases Its 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement. 07 July 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/press-release/ht-position-statement-release.pdf Accessed: 01 December 2023