5TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON WOMEN’S HEALTH & MENOPAUSE (Florence, Italy April 22, 2004) RE-EVALUATING HORMONE THERAPY PANEL DISCUSSION AND WEB CAST -- Question-and-Answer Excerpts-- Participants: Rogerio A. Lobo, MD Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Columbia University, New York City Wulf Utian, MD, PhD Executive Director, North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Marcia Stefaniak Professor, Stanford Medical School Principal Investigator Women’s Health Initiative Florence Haseltine, MD, PhD Board Member, Society for Women’s Health Research, Washington, DC Elizabeth Battaglino, RN National Women’s Health Resource Center Red Bank, New Jersey Dr. Vivianne Pin Director, Office of Research, Women’s Health National Institutes of Health Dr. Margery Gass Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Cincinnati (Board of Trustees Member & Past President, North American Menopause Society) Andrea R. Genazzani, MD Director, Department of Reproductive Medicine and Child Development Università di Pisa (President, International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, Past President, International Menopause Society) Professor Rudolfo Paoletti, Professor and Chairman of Pharmacology. University of Milan Dr. John C. Stevenson Executive Committee Member, European Menopause and Endocrinal Society and the British Menopause Society Pier Crosignani, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Milan NOTE: THIS TRANSCRIPT HAS BEEN EDITED FOR LENGTH. Question: In no other field, have women been given such mixed messages as in the field of HRT. Who is a woman to trust? A pharmaceutical company? A doctor? A scientist? Or maybe a practicing nurse? Answer: (ELIZABETH BATTAGLINO, RN) That’s a great question. The primary question that we get from consumers today is about the “trustworthiness” of various sources of information. Some people are skeptical about industry, and some people are equally skeptical about government. As a not-for-profit organization, our information is objective and comprehensive – our Women’s Health Advisory Council is comprised of top physicians and nurse practitioners from across the country. So women do trust us for information on health topics. We provide questions for the consumer to take to their health care provider to help them make an educated decision about what treatment option is best suited for them. Question: Has the issue of HT become a political discussion, or is it still a scientific discussion? Where should the emphasis be right now in order to benefit women? Answer: (ROGERIO A. LOBO, MD) I think it’s a different discussion for different people. I like to think it’s not political and that the emphasis is on women. Decisions about HT have always been difficult and not the same for every woman. Choices have to be individualized. And so ultimately, a woman needs to seek out the best information, and be convinced that it’s the right thing for her. If she’s not convinced, she’s simply not going to use HT – nor should she. Clearly from a media perspective, most of what women hear are the bad things. Bad news makes news, good news Re-evaluating Hormone Therapy Panel Discussion Page 1 Q & A Excerpts