Menopausal hormone therapy can improve health span when prescribed well
October 14, 2026 • Season 4: Episode 40
October is National Menopause Awareness Month, and Speaking of Women's Health Podcast host Holly L. Thacker, MD talks about the FDA’s decision to lift boxed warnings on vaginal estrogen and what that means for real patients dealing with genitourinary syndrome of menopause: vaginal dryness, vulvar irritation, painful sex, urinary urgency, and the quiet misery that too many women have been told to “just live with.” She shares why local vaginal estrogen is a powerful, targeted tool and why fear-based labeling distorted care for years, even for women with a history of breast cancer.
From there, she zooms out to the bigger question clinicians and patients keep asking: who should consider menopausal hormone therapy, when does timing matter, and what are the real risks versus the exaggerated ones?
