First, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) caused cancer, then it didn’t.  Then, it caused dementia and heart disease.  Oh, no, just kidding.  Then it had to be given transdermally because we wanted to avoid the liver.  But wait, maybe that’s not right either?  Okay, now I understand, it has to be made by a compounding pharmacy, right?  (because “big pharma”).  I see, if we check all these urine metabolites, we’ll understand better what to do… right?  Wait, do we even need to replace hormones?  What if we just rub yam cream on our bodies?  Isn’t that enough?  Hmm. I’m confused. 

For decades, we’ve blundered through a hormone-replacement minefield, leaving a trail of confused and frustrated women in our wake. The hard truth? We’re still failing them, and we – the medical community – bear much of the blame. I’ve spent the last decade in the trenches, desperately trying to decode the HRT enigma. I’ve run the gamut – from starched-collar traditionalists to wild-eyed renegades, from functional medicine gurus to naturopathic zealots. Each camp screamed its version of the hormone gospel, drowning out reason with rhetoric. The result? A cacophony of conflicting advice that’s left women more bewildered than ever.

We’ve become so obsessed with proving our particular HRT dogma “right” that we’ve lost sight of our patients’ needs. Even now, in 2025, we’re still squabbling over basic delivery methods while women suffer the consequences of our collective indecision. This talk isn’t just about myths and misconceptions – it’s about our colossal missteps and the urgent need to do better. Prepare to have your assumptions shattered and your comfort zones obliterated as we confront the ugly truth about what we do – and don’t – know about HRT. It’s time to stop failing women. It’s time for a reckoning.

Session Learning Objectives:

1.) Understand the current landscape of HRT use within the women’s health sector.

2.) Review the most common myths around HRT use in women.

3.) Understand what we know (and don’t know) about using HRT for the prevention of diseases in women.