Dr. Mervat Al-Sous from the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Faculty of Pharmacy participated in the educational event "Women and Health" organized by the Princess Basma Centre for Jordanian Studies in collaboration with the Jordanian Women's Union.

The discussion revolved around the concept of "menopausal transition," previously known as menopause in women, and the importance of estrogen hormone in women, which helps prevent heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and osteoporosis, explaining that a decrease in estrogen levels increases the risk of developing these diseases.

It also highlighted the types of estrogen and how to take it, indicating the duration of alternative hormone therapy where most individuals take hormone replacement therapy for five years or less with continued monitoring by a doctor and reassessment of the treatment plan. She emphasized that if a new medical condition develops during hormone replacement therapy, a doctor should be consulted to discuss whether continuing hormone replacement therapy is still safe.

The benefits of hormone replacement therapy during the menopausal transition phase were discussed, such as reducing hot flushes, night sweats, strengthening and protecting bones from fractures, aiding in protection against diabetes, and reducing the risk of heart disease if hormone replacement therapy is started within 10 years of the onset of menopause. Side effects were mentioned, like headaches, and contraindications such as having uterine cancer or blood clots.

The risks of hormone replacement therapy during menopausal transition were reviewed, including blood clots, uterine cancer, and breast cancer, stressing the importance of following a set of general treatment guidelines like maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, regular exercise, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.