A new study shows that women can have menopause symptoms, like hot flashes, for longer than expected. Because of this, more research is looking at how hormone therapy affects health over time.
The study suggests that specific estrogen-based therapies may reduce the risk of heart disease. These findings will be shared at the 2024 Menopause Society meeting in Chicago.
Hormone therapy has been debated for over 20 years since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). Though it helps with menopause symptoms, some worry about health risks with long-term use.
Using WHI data, this new study suggests that long-term use of specific hormone therapies may help heart health. It looked at women using conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and CEE with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA).
CEE alone and CEE plus MPA positively affected heart health markers, except triglycerides. Compared to a placebo, HDL (good cholesterol) increased by 13% with CEE alone and 7% with CEE plus MPA. LDL (bad cholesterol) dropped by about 11% for both therapies. Insulin resistance decreased by 14% for CEE alone and 8% for CEE plus MPA. Lipoprotein(a), a risk factor for heart disease, dropped by 15% for CEE alone and 20% for CEE plus MPA.
Dr. Matthew Nudy from Penn State Hershey Medical Center highlighted that both therapies worked well. However, future studies should explore whether other progestogens could improve estrogen’s cholesterol benefits.
More details will be shared at the 2024 Menopause Society meeting in a talk called “The Long-Term Effect of Hormone Therapy on Heart Health.”
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society, said, “For years, women avoided hormone therapy due to health concerns. Studies like this help women feel more confident in using it for menopause symptoms, scorching flashes.”