Despite Recent Studies Some Women May Benefit From HRT After Menopause

Main Category: Menopause
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 17 Apr 2004 - 0:00 PST


Despite recent studies some women may benefit from HRT after menopause, say researchers at a group of major medical centers. They have decided to test HRT again as they reckon it probably still does have benefits, especially for younger women.

Researchers want to know whether HRT can help protect women from artery disease if they commence treatment as soon as the menopause starts. They also want to see whether it might be better for the patient to receive the estrogen through a skin patch, rather by taking pills.

Estrogen has to go given along with progesterone as progesterone neutralises the uterine cancer risk that estrogen alone creates.

The researchers plan to start the new study in September, 2004. The study will take 5 years to complete. They will work with 720 female volunteers, aged 40-55, at 8 medical centers around the USA. The women will be within three months to a maximum of three years away from their last menstrual period (their last menstrual period happened three months to three years ago).

The women will be given estrogen pills, patches or placebos. The ones on estrogen will also have a vaginal gel which contains progesterone which they must administer for ten days of each month.

They will be checked for artery disease during those five years (using ultrasound and X-rays). They say there are not enough women in the study and the study will not be long enough for them to know what the risks of heart disease and stroke are. This means that if they do find a benefit from this study they will have to carry out another study to look at the heart attack and stroke risks.

Kronos Longevity Research Institute, a non-profit (private) organisation, Phoenix, USA, is paying for the study. A spokesperson said that Phoenix will not profit from the study.

The last study on HRT carried out by the Women's Health Initiative was abruptly halted in July 2002 because there was evidence that participants were at risk of developing breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots (small risk). This new study will answer some questions that the Women's Health Initiative was unable to answer because the test was stopped.

Millions of women stopped taking HRT when they heard why study was halted. Those who had to continue the treatment were advised to take the lowest dose possible.

The study by the Women's Health Initiative had volunteers whose average age was 62. The researchers for this new study want to find out what the benefits might be for younger women.

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