7 years ago in TIME

By Melissa August, Harriet Barovick, Elizabeth L. Bland, Sean Gregory, David Robinson, Heather Won Tesoriero and Rebecca Winters

The decision to halt a study of hormone-replacement therapy because of an increased risk of cancer came as a blow to millions of women. But the potential dangers of hormones were well known when TIME ran a cover story on ESTROGEN.

Estrogen is indeed the closest thing in modern medicine to an elixir of youth--a drug that slows the ravages of time for women. It is already the No. 1 prescription drug in America, and it is about to hit its demographic sweet spot: the millions of baby boomers now experiencing their first hot flashes...what today's women should know is that like every other magic potion, this one has a dark side...It means a lifetime of drug taking and possible side effects that include an increased risk of several forms of cancer. That danger was underscored last week by a report reaffirming the long-suspected link between estrogen-replacement therapy and breast cancer. Weighing such risks against the truly marvelous benefits of estrogen may be the most difficult health decision a woman can make. And there's no avoiding it. --TIME, June 26, 1995