What is the Women’s Health Initiative study?
• The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was a landmark research initiative that started in 1991. Over 27,000 women participated in the hormone therapy (HT) trial22 • The participants of this study were generally healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79, with an average age being about 64. In 2 separate arms, these women were given either placebo (sugar pill), estrogen plus progestin, or estrogen alone once daily for up to 7 years22 • The goal of the study was to evaluate what effect hormone therapy had on heart disease prevention, breast and colorectal (colon and rectum) cancer, bone loss, and other outcomes.
