August 28^th, 2002

Contact:   Jenny Enkro
                Community Relations Assistant

                (920)361-5574

 “Pros and Cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy:”

Dr. Patrick Bruno to host encore presentation of HRT program in Wild Rose

Desiring to provide area women with peace of mind and reassurance of HRT, Dr. Bruno will be hosting an encore presentation of “The Pros and Cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy” to provide a forum to review the Women’s Health Initiative study and respond to questions.

“The Pros and Cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy” will take place on Wednesday, October 2^nd in the lower level meeting room of Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital, 601 Grove Avenue. Check-in begins at 6:45 p.m., followed by the program from 7 to 8 p.m. and a question/answer session.

According to Dr. Bruno, the specific objectives of the program are to:

·        Provide an overview about the Women’s Health Initiatives study

·        Review the various hormones and their purposes

·        Describe appropriate HRT programs

·        Answer any other questions participants may have

“The Pros and Cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy” is free and open to all area women. Due to space limitations, pre-registration is required by calling CHN Community Relations at (920)361-5480 or 1-800-236-1283 ext 5480.

When the National Institutes of Health released its findings from the Women’s Health Initiative clinical study July 9^th, women throughout the United States began questioning whether or not they are on a safe track for dealing with the onset of menopause.

The study, which examined the risks associated with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) treatment in postmenopausal women, reconfirmed possible risks in HRT combining two female hormones: estrogen and progestin. Women undergoing HRT combining those two hormones were found to be at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots.

Established in 1991 to address causes of death and disability in postmenopausal women, the Women’s Health Initiative was the first long-term randomized controlled clinical trial of HRT. According to information released by the Medical College of Wisconsin, which was one of the study’s clinic sites, researchers felt obligated to share their findings from the study four years earlier than planned – citing concerns for women on hormone replacement therapy. More than 6-million women nationwide are currently using postmenopausal HRT.

“Naturally, when the study was released to the news media and became highly publicized, women and healthcare providers raised concerns,” said Dr. Patrick Bruno, Board Certified Gynecologist for Community Health Network (CHN) Women’s Medical Services. “But what’s important for women to understand is that the risks unveiled in the study were relatively small for individual women versus the female population as a whole.”

Dr. Bruno teams with family nurse practitioner Jane Morrow in serving CHN Women's Medical Services, which provides an array of specialized female health services, including routine examinations, reproductive health, gynecological surgeries including laparascopic/endoscopic procedures; HRT; urogynecology and pelvic reconstruction; and bone densitometry scanning for osteoporosis. Dr. Bruno sees patients in Berlin, Ripon and Wild Rose.

He earned his bachelor's and medical degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he also completed a residency in gynecology. While attending the University of Missouri School of Medicine, he served as president of the Student Activity Council and was given the Holt Leadership Award honoring a graduating medical student. In private practice since 1993, he is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.