Hormone therapy can raise many questions for post-menopausal women. This Web chat Tuesday can help

Hormone therapy: thumbs up or thumbs down? That’s a tough call for women who have gone through menopause and have read countless studies that reinforce the risks or the benefits. Here are some doctors who can translate those findings of science into practical advice.

Health reporter Judy Graham of the Chicago Tribune will lead a live Web chat Tuesday (1 p.m. EST, noon CST, 10 a.m. PST) about using hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. Panelists include Dr. Richard Santen, lead author of the Endocrine Society’s recent revised statement on hormone therapy, and Dr. Cynthia A. Stuenkel, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and immediate past president of the North American Menopause Society.

There’s a good reason women are confused about the safety of HRTs. Many studies present conflicting findings. Here are two L.A. Times stories about recent findings: “Breat cancer study finds prolonged therapy risk” and “Researcher: Estrogen-only therapy may prevent breast cancer in some women.”

Each report raises questions about replacement therapy. So come to the chat and get some answers.