Prempro

Use plummeted after the Women's Health Initiative released its results.

The long-standing belief has been that symptoms subside a few years after women have their last period and taking hormones might help women avoid symptoms, although strong scientific evidence about the duration has been lacking, Ockene said.

Symptoms differ Researchers, she said, "would have assumed five and a half years, which is the average length in this study, would have been enough time to see them not return." Smith, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, said she started having menopausal symptoms at age 49.

Her hot flashes disappeared during the study.

"Within a month they were back again.

Not quite so bad, but I still wake up at night with a good one," Smith, 73, said recently.

The original study involved 16 600 women aged 50 to 79 who were given Smith was among 8 405 WHI participants surveyed by mail eight to 10 months after the study was halted.

Overall, 21% of Ockene said those results suggest many women on fake pills might have gone through natural menopause during the study, while for those on Read more...