Hormone therapy in the postmenopausal years: considering benefits and risks in clinical practice

AbstractBACKGROUNDMenopausal symptoms can be very distressing and considerably affect a woman ’s personal and social life. It is becoming more and more evident that leaving bothersome symptoms untreated in midlife may lead to altered quality of life, reduced work productivity and, possibly, overall impaired health. Hormone therapy (HT) for the relief of menopausal symptoms has been the obj ect of much controversy over the past two decades. At the beginning of the century, a shadow was cast on the use of HT owing to the concern for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks, and breast cancer, arising following publication of a large randomized placebo-controlled trial. Findings of a sub analysis of the trial data and extended follow-up studies, along with other more modern clinical trials and observational studies, have provided new evidence on the effects of HT.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEThe goal of the following paper is to appraise the most significant clinical literature on the effects of hormones in postmenopausal women, and to report the benefits and risks of HT for the relief of menopausal symptoms.SEARCH METHODSA Pubmed search of clinical trials was performed using the following terms: estrogens, progestogens, bazedoxifene, tibolone, selective estrogen receptor modulators, tissue-selective estrogen complex, androgens, and menopause.OUTCOMESHT is an effective treatment for bothersome menopausal vasomotor symptoms, genitourinary syndrome, and prevention of osteoporotic frac...
Source: Human Reproduction Update - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research