Dear Friends,

I’m writing to extend a special invitation to NWHN members, supporters and allies who live and work in the DC area. Please join me on July 9th for events hosted by the National Women’s Health Network and the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the groundbreaking results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).

The WHI was one of the largest preventive women’s health studies ever conducted in the United States. It studied the use of hormone therapy (HT) – drugs that were heavily marketed and widely prescribed to women during menopause. Ten years ago, on July 9, 2002, the National Institutes of Health released findings that showed HT was causing serious health problems in otherwise healthy women, including increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer. These groundbreaking results turned routine clinical practice on its head and benefitted millions of women – including the 160,000 women who were not diagnosed with breast cancer over the last 10 years because they avoided unnecessary exposure to drugs that would have caused it.

But 10 years later, the backlash against the WHI continues. The WHI’s results are still questioned by some who continue to promote unproven theories about how taking hormones benefits women’s health, despite the weight of evidence against these claims. Fortunately, the Network is still working hard to keep women informed and to set the record straight. To this end, the Network and the Jacobs Institute will host two events on Monday, July 9th – a panel at George Washington University and a Congressional Briefing.

These panels will feature leaders in women’s health, research and advocacy who will speak about how the WHI findings changed the health care that women receive at menopause and beyond.  Presenters will explain how the WHI is responsible for the most significant reduction in breast cancer levels ever achieved in the United States and how this landmark research contributed to medical understanding of heart disease prevention for women.  They will also discuss the need for more research in these areas and the importance of establishing a solid base of scientific evidence before proceeding with widespread promotion and use of medical products.

The discussion is sure to be interesting, and I hope you can join us for one or both!  For the panel locations, list of presenters, and to RSVP, please click here. For more information about the WHI and the Network’s WHI anniversary activities, click here.

Thank you,

Cindy Pearson
Executive Director

P.S. Ask people to share the invitation on their own Facebook and Twitter pages.