When I recently discovered a new menopause study that showed a different estrogen mix would improve my cholesterol level more dramatically, I faxed the details to my doctor and asked for a prescription change.

My doctor, a menopause symptoms professor, was more than happy to offer me the alternative. More important, she welcomes the information just released from one of the best U.S. studies of hormone therapy.

My doctor said she didn't feel comfortable to convince somebody to take hormone replacement drugs. "It's my place to share the [spin]knowledge|information|research results[/spin], to do it accurately, to answer people's questions and to coach them to stay healthy," she told me.

The new Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions study - called PEPI - will help doctors offer better support for dealing with signs and symptoms of menopause. It doesn't answer all the concerns, particularly about links between long-term HRT use and breast cancer. But it does override a major doubt about whether the hormone therapy combinations taken by most women help guard against heart disease. And it clarifies the best ways to take the drugs.

Women already are wanting to know more about the PEPI study. It was presented recently at an American Heart Association meeting and is expected to be published very soon in a leading health journal.

The study is important for other reasons: Doctors and women's groups are highly focused than ever on whether HRT is necessary. There's less debate about using hormone replacement short-term to relieve menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes. The bigger question is whether women going through menopause should take them for long term to lower their risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, two major causes of death and disability in older women.

Many skeptics, including a raft of new authors on the subject, urge caution. They ask: Didn't our grandmothers manage perfectly well without taking {spin]hormones|HRT|estrogen therapy[/spin]? Couldn't they cause cancer? Aren't there ways to feel better and protect health without taking {spin]pills|drugs|artificial substances[/spin]? And who wants to take a drug that stretches out the menstrual period for a year – or even longer?