Menopause: some treatments increase the risk of blood clots

During menopause, women who take certain types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) tablets may be more likely to develop blood clots, according to new research published in the BMJ. Blood clots can lead to pulmonary embolisms, strokes and heart attacks and therefore, in the most serious cases, death or lasting disability.

Hormone replacement therapy is used to relieve symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Different treatments are available depending on the symptoms. For example, tablets containing estrogens and/or progestins, patches, gels and creams are used.

horse urine

The current study analyzed the prescriptions of 80,000 women aged 40 to 79, all victims of blood clots, then compared them with the records of 390,000 women who had never had one. Result: taking HRT tablets was equivalent to nine additional cases of blood clots in 10,000 women. The risk of blood clots was 15% higher for treatments containing estrogen made from horse urine than for synthetic estradiol, for both single and combination hormone treatments.

In the end, patches and gels were the safest treatments. “Our findings are particularly important for women in need of hormone replacement therapy who are already at increased risk of blood clot formation,” the authors state. “It is important that patients do not panic or stop taking their treatment after learning about this study, but rather discuss their concerns at their next doctor’s appointment,” add- they.

End of menstrual cycles

It is also possible to make a link between these results and the risk of blood clots observed with oral contraception. It’s the same mechanism: when it’s administered orally, it goes through the liver first.

Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. It is a natural phenomenon that corresponds to the cessation of a woman’s reproductive period. It is linked to the end of menstrual cycles when the secretion of estrogen and progesterone by the ovaries stops.