Bioethicist Looks Into Celebrity Menopause Advice

At last, the bioethicists are looking into this.

M. Sara Rosenthal presented at the Endocrine Society's 89th annual meeting, June 2-5, on the recent phenomenon of celebrities, particularly Suzanne Somers, advocating and offering advice on bioidentical hormone therapies. She is the director of the University of Kentucky Program for Bioethics and Patients' Rights.

"Problems can occur when women look to untrained lay practitioners for medical advice," said Rosenthal. "With no medical background or formal training in science, Somers is providing prescriptive medical advice that many endocrinologists question. Many of the therapies Somers endorses have not undergone standard institutional research review processes. Women may not understand or appreciate that such therapies pose unknown risks to their health and are not regulated or monitored."

I don't have a copy of Ms. Rosenthal's presentation and can't say whether she directly addressed Somers' advocacy of the Wiley Protocol (though it seems implied), but I do know that she inquired with women who have had adverse experiences on the Wiley Protocol.

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