Dr. Vonda Wright, a leading authority on musculoskeletal health and aging, offered a no-nonsense appraisal of estrogen’s role in maintaining bone health after menopause. Describing osteoporosis as both prevalent and underdiagnosed, Dr. Wright noted that almost 70% of hip fractures occur in women, with one-third experiencing fatal outcomes within a year of injury. Drawing on large-scale clinical studies and personal experience, she outlined how estrogen therapy stands as the only intervention shown to reduce fracture risk in all postmenopausal women, conferring benefits far exceeding those of bisphosphonates or calcium alone.

Despite this, Dr. Wright lamented, less than 5% of eligible women currently receive HRT for osteoporosis, a figure directly linked to persistent regulatory and cultural fears around its use. Wright criticized the FDA’s reluctance to revise the black box warning, noting it undermines both practitioner confidence and patient access to life-saving therapies.

Her passionate closing urged regulatory agencies to recognize scientific consensus and to prioritize the prevention of catastrophic fractures, which carry enormous quality-of-life, personal, and healthcare system costs.