Suretta Bronstein Must of Bloomfield Hills is a strong, active woman. At 58, she’s still a size 4, thanks to a healthy diet and daily exercise. She runs her own interior design business, is active in politics and volunteers in her community.

This is a woman who follows her own path – she taught elementary school before earning her master’s degree in social work. Later, she chose to change careers again and become an interior designer. She’s empowered and in control of her life.

But when she went to her gynecologist for help with the symptoms of menopause, she felt helpless.

“I’d ask him questions and he’d just shrug me off,” she said. “I’d be in the middle of asking him the most intimate, personal questions and he would just dismiss me, like what I was going through didn’t matter. My personal problems seemed to bore him and take up his valuable time.”

Even though the research hadn’t yet linked hormone therapy to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots and stroke, Suretta didn’t want to take hormones for treatment of her menopause symptoms.

Her best friend had developed ovarian cancer – and later died – after taking hormone therapy for less than a year.

“Who knows what caused her cancer, but I just never felt like it was safe or normal to take hormones,” she said. “I had numerous conversations with my gynecologist regarding hormone therapy on the phone and in person and he always said, ‘My wife takes them, so you should too.’ I felt helpless and alone.”

The experience left Suretta in tears. Even though she had a tremendous bond with the nurses in the gynecologist’s office – many of whom she’d known for years – she knew it was time to find a new physician.

The only problem: She didn’t know where to turn.

A few days later, she was watching television in her kitchen when she saw an interview with a physician involved in groundbreaking research into hormone therapy. It was Susan Hendrix, D.O., an obstetrician and gynecologist at Hutzel Women’s Hospital and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

In 2002, Dr. Hendrix’s research – the national Women’s Health Initiative – found that hormone therapy can actually increase women’s risk of many deadly diseases.

“I was so impressed with her that I called her office that day to make an appointment to see her,” Suretta said. “She not only listened to me, but truly could relate to what I was going through.”

Together, Dr. Hendrix and Suretta developed a plan of treatment for her individual symptoms of menopause.

“It’s important for women to understand that no two women have the same experience with menopause,” Dr. Hendrix said. “Every one is different.”

In addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise, Dr. Hendrix gave Suretta many tips on managing the symptoms without hormones. She also prescribed a prescription medication used to relieve some of the symptoms of menopause and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

“The risks associated with hormone therapy are small, but very real,” Dr. Hendrix said. “I still prescribe hormone therapy for some patients with severe symptoms, but I always make sure patients understand the risks. And if possible, we try to treat the symptoms without hormones.”

That made Suretta very happy.

“Dr. Hendrix is unique in that you never feel like you are just another patient,” Suretta said. “You feel like you are someone who matters to her, that you can count on her whenever you need her. I feel so lucky to have found her.”

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