Used to relieve some symptoms of menopause, hormone treatments may have long-term beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, according to a study.
- While the scientific community is concerned about potential health risks, especially after prolonged use, some estrogen-based hormone therapies may actually provide long-term benefits to postmenopausal women, at least from a cardiac perspective.
- According to the researchers, hormonal treatments had “a favorable influence on all cardiovascular biomarkers, with the exception of triglycerides”: good and bad cholesterol, insulin resistance, lipoprotein…
- “Studies like this are valuable in helping women feel more confident in their decision to use menopausal hormone therapy to manage their bothersome symptoms, particularly hot flashes.”
For some women, menopause can be manifested by annoying symptoms, such as hot flashes, which tend to last for a long time. To date, hormone therapy (more precisely menopause hormone therapy) has proven to be the most effective treatment for relieving these types of symptoms. It consists of replacing the hormones (estrogen and/or progesterone) that are no longer produced naturally, either orally (tablets) or cutaneously (cream or patch).
While part of the scientific community is still concerned about the potential health risks, especially after prolonged use, researchers have just highlighted what appears to be the opposite: certain hormone therapies would actually be beneficial in the long term for menopausal women, at least in terms of their heart. Their results will be presented at the annual congress of the Menopause Society in Chicago from September 10 to 14.
The positive influence of hormone therapy on cardiovascular biomarkers
To reach this conclusion, the scientists relied on data from the Women’s Health Initiativea large clinical trial involving more than 27,000 women recruited between 1993 and 1998. They specifically targeted and evaluated women taking conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs) – the most commonly prescribed oral estrogen therapy – or CEEs with the addition of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a synthetic form of progesterone.
As a result, it appeared that both types of treatment had “a favorable influence on all cardiovascular biomarkers, except triglycerides”, can we read in a press release. In detail, compared with placebo, HDL cholesterol (sometimes called good cholesterol) increased by 13% and 7% for participants treated with CEE alone and CEE-MPA, respectively. The reduction in LDL cholesterol (the “bad”) was about 11% for both types of therapy. Insulin resistance decreased by 14% and 8% for CEE and CEE-MPA, respectively, while lipoprotein, “sometimes called the silent killer of the heart”fell by 15% and 20%.
Menopause hormone therapy to manage bothersome symptoms
“Although CEE treatment had slightly more favorable effects, both therapies worked well based on their impact on biomarkers, with the exception of triglycerides, summarizes Dr. Matthew Nudy, lead author of the study. Future research should evaluate whether other progestin formulations might less attenuate the long-term effect of estrogen on cholesterol.”
“For years, women and health care professionals have avoided hormone therapy for fear of potential adverse health effects. Studies like this are valuable in helping women feel more confident in their decision to use menopausal hormone therapy to manage their bothersome symptoms, especially hot flashes.”concludes Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society.