Your Menopause Question: I don’t understand risk assessment in medical care. I am 55 years old and three years into menopause. I experience hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and pain on intercourse. My care provider suggested hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat these symptoms. However, she recalled that in 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) reported that of 10,000 women-years, HRT produced 18 more women with blood clots, eight more with stroke, and seven more with heart attacks than those not on HRT. I have a family history of blood clots. Is this treatment appropriate for me?