A. The findings showed that being on the hormones increased these problems, but in the WHI study, each problem affected fewer than one in 1,000 women per year. So any increase in your individual risk resulting from hormone use has probably been small. Researchers do not know whether some risks of hormone treatment - or the benefits, such as reductions in hip fractures and colon cancer - persist after a woman goes off the drugs. They intend to continue the WHI study to answer that question.

A. Some women do experience hot flashes and night sweats when they stop taking hormones, a response to the sudden drop in blood levels of estrogen. This problem is more common in women younger than 55 and in those who have taken hormones for less than five years, said obstetrician-gynecologist Susan L. Hendrix of Detroit's Wayne State University, a WHI researcher and menopause expert. You can minimize your chances of withdrawal symptoms if you taper the hormone dose, although experts said that stopping "cold turkey" is not dangerous. Hendrix suggests skipping one pill the first week, two pills the second week and so on until you're off hormones.

A. There's no evidence that estrogen and progestin affect desire, so your libido will probably be unaffected. You may, however, be bothered by vaginal dryness. Non-hormone-containing lubricants are helpful. Hendrix also recommended Vagifem vaginal tablets and a vaginal ring (Estring). Each contains estrogen that acts to reduce dryness but doesn't enter the bloodstream in significant amounts.