When Pamela Forrester went to her doctor in 1994 complaining of menopausal symptoms -- hot flashes and trouble sleeping -- she didn't think twice when he told her to start taking hormone replacement drugs, she testified today. 

Her doctor never mentioned any risks of breast cancer associated with the drugs Premarine or Prempro, and she didn't ask, Forrester said. She trusted him.

"He obviously didn't have the information," Forrester said of her doctor. "I'm sure he would have told me."

Now Forrester of Yerington, Jeraldine Scofield of Fallon and Arlene Rowatt of Incline Village are asking a Washoe County jury to hold the maker of the hormone-replacement drugs, Wyeth, accountable for the breast cancer they developed after years of taking the drugs.

Their trial in Washoe District Court is entering its third week.

The women's lawsuit states that the New Jersey-based Wyeth failed to adequately test the drugs before placing them on the market, and failed to warn women and doctors of the risks. The suit also states that Wyeth produced a dangerous drug that caused their breast cancer.

Wyeth has said that it's impossible to make a direct link between the women's cancer and the drugs. The company's lawyers also told the jury that it supplied warning labels with each drug prescribed and gave doctors information about studies on the risks of the drugs.

The women's lawyers said today that they may finish presenting their case early this week. Then, it will be Wyeth's turn to testify and present evidence for their position.