estrogen replacement therapy
the administration of natural or synthetic estrogens, such as estradiol or ethinyl estradiol, for the relief of symptoms associated with menopause, surgical removal of the ovaries, or failure of the ovaries to develop. Although estrogen replacement therapy was once an extremely common therapy in menopausal women, studies have questioned its material long-term benefits, and its use has fallen off considerably in recent years. See hormone replacement therapy.