Westwood : UCLA Study Needs Women

Researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine are seeking volunteers for a study of the role of hormone replacement therapy in preventing disease in postmenopausal women.

Women between the ages of 45 and 64, who are in good health and have had either a natural or surgical menopause, are being sought for a clinical trial of four different hormone replacement regimens. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the study--the first nationally funded program of its kind--will compare the regimens to see which most favorably affects heart-disease risk and other menopause-related conditions.

Called Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions or PEPI, the trial will involve 840 women nationally, with 120 recruited by UCLA.

Last year, more than 250,000 women 65 or older died from heart disease--more than from all types of cancer combined. Numerous studies have indicated that estrogen replacement in postmenopausal women may help reduce the risk of heart disease and other menopause-related conditions such as osteoporosis. However, certain risks, including increased risk of uterine cancer, are associated with protracted estrogen replacement.

Women chosen to participate in the study will receive blood tests, mammography, bone density studies, electrocardiograms and medication free for the three years of the study.

Prospective volunteers should call the UCLA Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at (213) 825-9502.