Recent Reports Regarding Hormone Therapy

What about recent concerns regarding hormone therapy for menopause management?
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) funded two important studies of menopausal HT. One study used a combination of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and a progestin called medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). The other study used CEE only. Neither of these hormones is present in FemtraceŽ, which contains only the estrogen estradiol acetate. However, because these studies' findings are important, a summary of the results is provided below.

Hormone benefits. The investigators found two important health benefits to the combination type of HT. They estimate that for every 10,000 women taking combined estrogen plus progestin each year, there would be about five fewer cases of hip fracture and six fewer cases of colorectal cancer compared with women taking placebo. The estrogen-only study showed that there would be six fewer cases of hip fractures for every 10,000 women, but no decrease in colorectal cancer. Hormone risks. The investigators found four important health risks to the combination type of HT. The combination HT study also showed that for every 10,000 women taking combined estrogen plus progestin, there would be eight more cases of breast cancer, seven more cases of heart disease, eight more cases of stroke, and eight more cases of blood clots in the lungs above the expected annual number. In the estrogen-only study, 12 more cases of stroke are estimated for every 10,000 women, but there was no effect on heart disease. The effect of estrogen on breast cancers and blood clots was uncertain and needs further study.

The WHI Memory Study, a substudy within the WHI hormone program, looked at how combined hormone therapy and estrogen-only therapy affect women's thinking or cognition. The study found 23 more cases of dementia per year for every 10,000 women 65 and older taking combination HT. For every 10,000 women taking estrogen only, there would be an additional 12 cases of dementia per year. It is unknown if these findings apply to women under the age of 65.

Your healthcare provider can discuss what these results mean to you and answer any questions you may have.

Some closing words
Your decision about menopausal HT should be reviewed periodically (for example, every three to six months) with your healthcare provider. In general, guidelines suggest that for most women experiencing menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, using the lowest possible dose of estrogen for the shortest time is an excellent option.

The first step is to decide how much you are bothered by menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Then talk to your healthcare provider about how best to treat your symptoms. For many women the answer will be Femtrace® with its low-dose estrogen option.

Please see IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.

For more information, refer to the PATIENT PRODUCT INFORMATION.