Menopause Updates Without the Paywall
Time after time, the most common DM I get is “My doctor told me no because of….fill in the blank”. Here are my receipts to help patients and doctors.
I feel a huge responsibility to make sure that my patients feel confident about their decisions about hormones and menopause. That is why I always follow up with receipts! When my patient sees other clinicians who say “I am not a fan of HRT” or “you can’t do this or that….” I know that she can pull out the evidence and guidelines to back up our care plan. An educated patients is an empowered patient!
Because girls do just want to have fun.
On instagram I love making practical educational reels, finding and sharing practical pearls and data “gems” to share with my medical colleagues. The problem is that much of the science in medicine is behind a pay wall, making it invisible to the majority of doctors and patients.
Time after time, one of the most common DMs or comments I get is something along the lines of “My doctor told me no because of….fill in the blank”.
If you know my true colors, you will know that I like to always have an answer … so here is a quick curated list of open access articles, society guidelines, and key studies that I regularly share to help answer these questions. These are papers I return to time after time because they are rigorous, readable, and directly applicable to real world menopause care. This is not an exhaustive list. It’s a mix between “classics”, some new data, and some expert opinion pieces.
Menopausal Hormone Therapy: A Modern, Evidence-Based View
These resources provide essential context, correct common myths, and reflect how expert thinking has evolved since the early 2000s.
A Contemporary View of Menopausal Hormone Therapy
A clear, modern framing of MHT that emphasizes individualization, formulation, route, dose, and timing.2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement – The Menopause Society A foundational document summarizing the evidence base, benefits, risks, and appropriate use of hormone therapy. This is a guideline, not the law of the land…. use is as a starting point for the basics.
Use of Menopausal Hormone Therapy Beyond Age 65 Years
A critical paper challenging the idea of arbitrary age cutoffs and reinforcing individualized risk–benefit discussions.New Analysis of Women’s Health Initiative Data — JAMA
A recent JAMA article revisits the original Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) data through a timing hypothesis lens.
Randomized Trials of Estrogen-Alone and Breast Cancer Incidence: A Meta-Analysis
A rigorous synthesis of randomized data examining estrogen-alone therapy and breast cancer risk.‘Tis but a scratch: A Critical Review of the WHI Evidence
A thoughtful, data-driven reassessment of how the Women’s Health Initiative findings have been interpreted ….and misinterprete time after time.
Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause is more than dryness and everyone can use vaginal hormones.
Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause Guideline (2025)
The AUA hit a home run with their exhaustive and modern GSM update.Breast Cancer Survivors and Vaginal Hormones
Here is my practical, patient facing guide explaining local vaginal hormone therapy in the context of breast cancer survivorship.
Cardiovascular Health and the Timing Hypothesis
Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Reduction of All-Cause Mortality and CVD
A key review explaining why timing matters when considering hormone therapy.Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk – American Heart Association Scientific Statement
An authoritative statement highlighting menopause as a window for early cardiovascular prevention.
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) and Hormone Therapy
Understanding thrombotic risk requires nuance, not blanket prohibitions.
The ESTHER Study
A landmark study demonstrating how estrogen route influence VTE risk and how we can safely use transdermal estrogen.Prothrombotic Mutations, Hormone Therapy, and VTE
A detailed analysis of Factor V Leiden and other thrombophilias, emphasizing route-specific risk. Hint: these are not contraindications to hormones.Hormone Therapy and Recurrence of VTE
An important paper addressing if we can consider HRT AFTER a VTE.
Premature Menopause / Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
The most vulnerable women in menopause are amongst the most poorly managed.
Evidence-Based Guideline: Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
A comprehensive, open-access guideline addressing diagnosis, treatment, fertility, bone, and cardiovascular health.
BRCA Previvors and Risk-Reducing Surgery
Nothing makes me more frustrated than the barriers to care BRCA carriers face. These papers can be very helpful for counseling other hereditary mutation carriers or other high risk women who we have less data on but who also have less risk than BRCA carriers. The point is we can extrapolate this data to use for the larger population. All hands on deck!
Menopausal Symptom Management After Risk-Reducing Oophorectomy
Practical guidance for symptom management after RRBSO.Long-Term Non-Cancer Risks After RRBSO and the Role of Hormone Therapy
A critical review of cardiovascular, bone, cognitive, and overall health outcomes.Latest Research on BRCA Previvors and Hormone Therapy
Emerging evidence suggesting that hormone therapy may not increase breast cancer risk in this population.
Want more on BRCA? Read more on my substack:https://substack.com/@drmennobgyn/p-169476346
Breast Cancer Survivorship and Menopause
Patient Experience of Menopause Care After Breast Cancer
A sobering look at gaps in care, access, and education from the patient perspective.Menopausal Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients: Current Evidence
A nuanced review of what we know, what we don’t, and where shared decision-making matters most.HRT After Breast Cancer: It Is Time
A forward-looking discussion urging evidence-based, individualized conversations.
Testosterone is a female hormone that is underutilized. Time to change that.
ISSWSH Clinical Practice Guideline for Testosterone Use in Women
The definitive guideline for systemic testosterone in hypoactive sexual desire disorder.Testosterone for the Treatment of HSDD in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women
A recent, clinically practical review published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.Whether you are a clinician early in your menopause education or a patient trying to make sense of conflicting messages, I hope this serves as a credible, empowering starting point. Want more? Consider becoming a subscriber!
This is fantastic!!!!!!
I got asked by a new clinic patient in her 60’s last week if I was a psychiatrist or menopause specialist, when I suggested she consider HRT. Thank you for writing this post.