Female Speaker: 51-year-old Amy Schmaelzle is a registered nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Amy Schmaelzle: The heat started coming but then the sweats started coming, and they were getting more and more and more intense. Female Speaker: The cause of her distress is not an illness, but a natural process like many women in their late 40's or early 50's. Amy is going through menopause. Lila Nachtigall: So what happens with women is the ovary just runs out of the eggs. Hugh Taylor: When those eggs are lost, hand-in-hand with that, we lose the ability to produce estrogen. Multiple organs in the body require estrogen for optimal function and it includes the brain, it includes the bone, and without the estrogen, there are definitely some consequences. Female Speaker: Consequences like weaker bones, sexual dysfunction, moved swings and the dreaded hot flash. Hugh Taylor: With the hot flash, there is a surge of adrenaline, you know, release of adrenaline and that can cause heart racing, palpitations, sweating, anxiety these can be very disruptive, disturbing symptoms. Amy Schmaelzle: First of all, it was embarrassing because I felt like people were looking at me and could see what I was feeling. Hugh Taylor: Most women will experience hot flashes or vasomotor symptoms, at the time of menopause and for about two-thirds of them, these are very severe enough that they can significantly disrupt their lives. Female Speaker: Because declining estrogens is to blame doctor say replacing the estrogen can often eliminate hot flashes. Hugh Taylor: We are using much lower doses of estrogen or hormone therapy than we used to and that may not work for a 100%. But almost everyone nearly a 100% can get relief with a right dose of estrogen. Female Speaker: But hormone therapy is not without risks. One form has been linking to breast cancer. Hugh Taylor: A real risk of breast cancer seems to be the combination estrogen plus progestin. Even then that risk is every low within the margin of error of the study less than one per thousand-increased risk. Female Speaker: The landmark government study called the Women's Health Initiative also found that hormone therapy raises the risk of heart disease but only taken by women in their 60s or 70s. Women who start hormone therapy in their 50s appear to get more benefits with fewer risks. Jacques Rossouw: It may be a reasonable choice to use hormone therapy, if you are fairly close to, the menopause and you want to use it for a short period of time for the relief of symptoms. Female Speaker: Amy Schmaelzle, has been on hormone therapy for about three years now. Amy Schmaelzle: No more hot flashes, I haven't had. Lila Nachtigall: If you're giving it for hot flashes, 80% of hot flashes are over in three years. So, you probably figure you'll do three years and then you will gradually withdraw it. So that you can down the regulate estrogen receptors. Hugh Taylor: For you the risks are -- Female Speaker: While the debate over hormone therapy continues most experts agree on one point, every woman should discuss her individual risks and benefits with her doctor.