Hormone replacement therapy or, HRT, was once thought to be the miracle treatment for the wide array of symptoms related to menopause. Caused by a hormone imbalance, scientists thought if we could control the fluctuation, we could minimize the physical effects. Essentially, restore the balance, alleviate the symptoms.

And in theory, that sounded perfectly logical.

But then in 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) announced the first round of results in their study on the long-term effects of hormone therapy on post-menopausal women, the first study of its kind. The research focused on two drugs – Premarin (estrogen) and Prempro (estrogen and progestin) – and the results were disastrous.

The initial goal was to determine if the drugs could help prevent or reduce heart disease in healthy women, ages 50-79, but data showed that Prempro not only increased the risk of heart disease, but also breast cancer, stroke and blood clots in the lungs. In fact, the report was so frightening that the researchers decided they had seen enough. The Prempro study was discontinued immediately.

The Premarin study came to a close a few years later, with similarly bad results and for a while, it looked like hormone replacement therapy was no longer an option.

But then new researchers took another look and claimed that the old research wasn’t as dire and conclusive as we all might have thought. Sure, there was definitely some risk they said, but not nearly as high as originally reported and well, whatdya’ know? Here was another, newer study showing a 30% decrease in the risk of heart disease for women that began hormone therapy soon after entering menopause.

Maybe HRT wasn’t so dangerous after all. Maybe… but then another study emerged.

This study revealed that breast cancer spread to the lymph nodes faster in women taking an estrogen/progestin supplement than in those who didn’t. This increased risk seemed to disappear once you stopped taking the supplements, but that didn’t help the women who weren’t ready to stop and once again, HRT lost its appeal.

So, where are we now?

First the pros. HRT does minimize menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness, and it improves bone density – even “significantly” according to some studies – reducing your risk of osteoporosis.

But then we come to the cons.

HRT can increase your risk of stroke, blood clots and certain cancers. It’s effect on heart disease is still being debated and depends on your age and previous risk level. Younger women with no documented atherosclerosis may see a reduction in their risk of heart disease for example, while women over 60 with previous documented atherosclerosis may actually experience an increased risk of cardiovascular disease when taking an estrogen-only form of HRT.

Your risk of breast cancer is much higher with the estrogen-plus-progestin (EPT) variety of HRT, but if you still have your uterus, you need the added progestin to protect against uterine cancer.

And this is where all the studies start to break down – there is no single control group when it comes to menopause, so it’s almost impossible to say how much risk you’re taking on. How HRT affects you will depend on several things – from your age and current health status to your family history, the type of HRT you take and where you are in the menopausal process.

Unfortunately, as conventional medical treatments go, HRT is about it. There’s vaginal surgery for example, but this only treats symptoms related to the area, such as dryness and pain during sex. It’s also still in the experimental stage, so there’s not much data to predict how the procedure will affect you down the road.

Which leaves you with two choices: suffer with the itchy skin, the hot flashes, the moodiness and your thinning hair or risk the dangers of HRT.

Or… you could go with a third option. One that takes advantage of holistic remedies – herbs botanicals and nutrients that restore your body’s balance and allow you to go through menopause naturally and easily.

Now obviously, trying to find the right combination of supplements can be tricky. There are several you should be working with and while some are probably already in your medicine cabinet – such as calcium and vitamin D – others may not be as easy to find. You’ll also want to make sure you get the right “mix,” as some elements work best when taken with others.

In the past, the complexity of this solution might make you rethink option A and just resign yourself to suffering in silence until the symptoms finally go away. But fortunately, there’s an easier way.

To help women take advantage of natural therapies without the hassle of taking handfuls of supplements a day, a few companies have created a “multi-supplement” – products that strategically combine natural ingredients into a single, easy treatment. Some of these unfortunately, utilize synthetic binders, so you have to read the ingredients carefully.