The estrogen errors

the long version

The Women's Health Initiative study in the 1990s upended the conventional wisdom concerning hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women. Medical writer Baxter (Simon Fraser U.) and Prior (medicine, U. of British Columbia) trace the history of the estrogen-deficiency disease paradigm of menopause. Instead of the myth that estrogen is a female hormone that needs replenishing, these self-identified feminists advocate consideration of the complexities of what is 'normal' and the use of progesterone among options to ease menopausal symptoms. Appendices include further information about perimenopause, "the forgotten transition," and menopause management. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).