Researchers work to erase women's hormone-replacement fear

From the Ottawa Citizen:
A research team led by Ottawa scientists is creating and testing synthetic hormones to take the fear out of hormone-replacement therapy for menopausal women.

There's a lot at stake, from the well-being of women to a pharmaceutical market worth billions a year.

"There are plenty of women who would like to have such a drug," said Carleton University Professor Jim Wright, a chemist.

Wright and the research team, led by Tony Durst at the University of Ottawa, have just received a $267,000 research grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It could lead to the creation of a blockbuster new drug.

About a decade ago, hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) was touted as a magic bullet for many menopausal women. HRT boosts hormone levels and helps to reduce the symptoms of menopause, from hot flashes to osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease that can be deadly because it leads to serious fractures. About one in three women who sustain hip fractures from osteoporosis die within a year. ...more