A new paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says more women suffering symptoms of menopause should be offered hormonal therapy.
Lead author Dr. Iliana Lega says many women in their 40s and 50s have hot flashes, disrupted sleep and mood changes that are debilitating in their day-to-day lives.
She says menopausal hormone therapy can treat those symptoms.
But many doctors have been hesitant to prescribe it since a study in the 1990s found an association with higher breast cancer and stroke risks.
Lega and her colleagues examined more recent studies that show those risks were mostly associated with women 60 years of age and older.
She says doctors need to evaluate the risks and benefits for perimenopausal patients in their 40s and 50s on an individual basis so they can make an informed decision.