Timing is everything A new study, presented at this year's Menopause Society meeting, posits that estrogen treatment initiated early, in perimenopause, lowers risks of heart attack, stroke, & breast cancer by 60% The Timing of Estrogen Therapy Perimenopausal Benefits and Postmenopausal Risks The study’s dramatic results suggest that a much earlier timing of initiation of estrogen therapy in perimenopause—ideally ten years prior to menopause and continuing on it for that same length of time—is not only helpful in alleviating the many debilitating symptoms of the menopause transition, but that starting HRT (aka MHT) in perimenopause should now be considered standard preventative medicine. Here’s the direct quote from the Menopause Society’s initial announcement: “The findings revealed that perimenopausal women who had used estrogen for at least 10 years prior to menopause had significantly lower odds of developing breast cancer, heart attack and stroke compared to the other two groups—approximately 60% lower.”