The US Food and Drug Administration has announced new guidance on the labeling for all hormone replacement therapies beginning early next year.

Black box warning labels will be gone from hormone replacement creams, pills and other products prescribed to ease the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.

The FDA says the change comes after more than two decades of what they say is fear and misinformation surrounding hormone replacement therapy.

Erica marinetti, an advanced practice registered nurse specializing in women's health at UK health care, tells us more.

Than before this change the warnings.

There was a broad black box warning about heart disease, breast cancer and dementia and blood clots.

That really caused a lot of concern.

And that was that was added as a black box warning in 2003 after the Women's Health Initiative, or the study that was really looking at oral synthetic hormones that were used in this study.

And the women in that study were on average age about 63 years old.

So they were well past the typical menopausal age in America, which is around 51 of 52.

And so these women were started on hormones a lot later than maybe we typically should do it now.

This black box warning is, is really what has driven the fear in most women and even providers.

They feel like it's just not been safe.

It hasn't been taught in medical school to prescribe hormone therapy, even from what I've heard.

You know, gynecology doesn't spend a lot of time even in their programs learning about menopause care.

And so every woman is just very different.

And so I think there is we're in the middle of a menopause movement right now and women are starting.

And this is how, you know, this is one of the many things that is helping that the black box warning is removed.

And there's we have lots of great providers that are advocating the menopause leaders are advocating in America for women to have access to hormone therapy.

You know, women come to me and they are in tears.

A lot of times they're in tears with their symptoms.

There's they are miserable.

They don't feel like themselves.

And you really can't measure that.

Like, how do we measure?

I don't feel like myself anymore.

And so they come to me and they're very upset.

And so I allow space for them to tell me their story.

And they tell me what they've been going through.

And some women have been dismissed for a long time.

And that's what's what's really hard.

And that's what I would love to see.

Shift is that women would not get dismissed any longer, that we have safe hormone treatments available for women, that do not raise the risk of blood clots.

You know, transdermal estrogen is your risk of blood clot is is similar to baseline with with the transdermal.

It doesn't get processed through the liver.

So if we can start women on these really safe hormone therapies and have them feel better, they're more likely to exercise.

They're more likely to be, happy every day and be a part of their families and be able to thrive.

Systemic estrogen alone products are not included in the guidance change.

According to the FDA.

The black boxed warning for endometrial cancer will remain on those products.