The Food and Drug Administration removed “black box” warnings from estrogen products in November 2025, correcting a decades-old label that incorrectly linked hormone replacement therapy to increased breast cancer risk. The federal move aims to reverse 25 years of medical misinformation that led many women to avoid essential hormone treatments.
The previous warnings were based on a flawed study from 25 years ago called “The High,” which exaggerated the risks associated with hormone therapy. Following that study, usage among menopausal women plummeted from 33% to just 1% as doctors across the United States were advised to stop the treatment. Medical experts now say that a generation of women suffered unnecessarily from menopause symptoms and missed out on critical health benefits due to those findings.
Dr. Gustavo Lo is a physician at the Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center and RegenCen, which operates locations in Traverse City, Petoskey and 24 other sites across Michigan and Florida. He noted that the recent increase in hormone therapy is partly due to more patients achieving positive results. “The number of women and men who are doing that is kind of a critical mass,” Lo said. “It’s no longer just the weirdo down the street who’s doing it.”
”Medical professionals are now highlighting the significant health benefits of hormone replacement therapy beyond managing menopause symptoms. Research indicates the treatment can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by 30% to 40%. Additionally, early studies suggest the therapy could decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by approximately 50% while supporting bone and musculoskeletal health.
Lo explained that avoiding hormone therapy has had severe consequences over the last quarter-century. He noted that inaccurate medical advice may have led to as many as 100,000 premature deaths among women due to hip fractures, urinary tract infections, heart attacks and strokes. Lo attributed this shift in perspective to statements from federal leadership.
The center also addresses misconceptions regarding breast cancer and specific hormone treatments. While patients who have already had breast cancer cannot take estrogen or progesterone in conventional ways, Lo stated they may still use vaginal treatments to prevent specific health issues. He emphasized that for most patients, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone do not increase cancer risks. “About One in eight women, unfortunately, are going to get breast cancer,” Lo said. “But testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, the hormones we replace, those do not increase the risk of breast cancer at all.”
Hormone discussions are also expanding to include testosterone levels in both women and men. Lo noted that women actually produce more testosterone over their lifetimes than estrogen, yet the hormone is rarely prescribed to them by conventional family doctors or OB-GYNs. Replacing testosterone can assist women with energy, strength and motivation during and after menopause.
Men are also experiencing a significant decline in testosterone levels nationwide. Since the 1990s, average levels in men have dropped by 30% to 40% for reasons that remain unknown to researchers. Data shows that two-thirds of men over age 60 and roughly 40% of men under age 40 currently have low testosterone. Lo noted that because the change happens slowly, many men mistake the symptoms for general aging.
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