The US health regulatory agency on Monday said it would direct manufacturers to remove a bold warning on many hormone therapies used to alleviate menopausal symptoms, saying the risks have been exaggerated.

Hormone Replacement Therapy can be taken to replace estrogen that the body stops producing during menopause -- the natural process that ends female reproductive years -- with the aim of alleviating symptoms that can be physically and mentally debilitating including hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, night sweats, joint pain and bone loss.

It once was used routinely, but a major 2002 study that was aimed at exploring how the therapies could prevent chronic disease pointed to risks associated with specific HRT formulations.

Since then "black box warnings" -- the strongest warning the US

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