Updated September 26, 2026. This article explains decisions about continuing or stopping BHRT. It replaces the earlier claim that everyone needs continuous BHRT for lasting health.
Continuing, changing, or stopping BHRT is an individual decision about menopausal hormone therapy. Neither “everyone should stop after a fixed number of years” nor “everyone must continue forever” is a sound rule.
When continuing treatment may make sense
The Menopause Society supports individualized treatment with periodic reassessment. Hormone therapy does not have to stop automatically at age 60 or 65. Persistent menopausal symptoms, quality of life, and—in selected cases—bone-health needs can be reasons to discuss continuation after considering benefits and risks. This is permission to evaluate options, not a recommendation that all older adults should take hormones. See the 2022 hormone therapy position statement summary.
Starting later is a different decision
Starting systemic treatment many years after menopause is not the same as continuing an established regimen. Age, time since menopause, cardiovascular health, cancer history, bleeding, and the proposed medicine all matter. The Menopause Society’s 2026 discussion of initiation after age 65 emphasizes individualized assessment and close monitoring.
What the earlier article got wrong
Hormone therapy should not be promoted as a way to prevent dementia or heart disease, and stopping it does not automatically cause those conditions. The earlier article also included unattributed personal stories that did not establish effectiveness; those stories have been removed. “Bioidentical” does not mean non-synthetic, harmless, or universally preferable. See FDA’s menopause guidance.
Make a follow-up plan before stopping BHRT
Ask your prescriber what the medicine is treating, whether it is still helping, and how your risks or preferences have changed. Discuss whether a different dose, route, nonhormonal option, or supervised trial off treatment would fit your circumstances. If symptoms recur, reassessment can help determine the next step. Do not stop or alter prescribed therapy based solely on a blog post.
- Which symptoms or goals are we monitoring?
- What new health issues or medicines could change the plan?
- When will we review benefits and adverse effects again?
- If I choose to stop, what follow-up and symptom-management options are available?
Read our updated BHRT overview or schedule a follow-up consultation.
