Hormone Therapy Protects Against Bone Loss

In postmenopausal women, hormone therapies were found to not only increase lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) but also offer protection against bone loss even after discontinuation of the hormones, revealed study published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Association of hormone preparations with bone mineral density, osteopenia, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Go to source). osteoporosis is a common debilitating condition, with approximately 14 million cases in the United States alone (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The Global Burden of Osteoporosis, Low Bone Mass, and Its Related Fracture in 204 Countries and Territories

Go to source).Characterized by decreased BMD and an increased risk of bone fragility that results in pain, fracture, and disability, it is often associated with estrogen deficiency. This explains why postmenopausal women have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis than older men.

Hormone therapy (HT), including estrogen-only and estrogen-progestogen combinations, is widely used for the prevention and management of osteoporosis, although there have been conflicting studies about the lingering benefits after the hormone use is discontinued.

In this study, which is based on real-world data from more than 6,000 postmenopausal women involved in the national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers sought to evaluate the associations of various types of hormone preparations with BMD, postmenopausal bone loss (osteopenia), and postmenopausal osteoporosis. They also explored the withdrawal effect of HT. Multiple therapies were studied, including oral contraceptive pills, estrogen-only pills, estrogen-progestogen combination pills, and estrogen-only patches.

On the basis of the results, researchers concluded that all the therapies evaluated increased lumbar spine BMD in postmenopausal women. These benefits persisted even after the hormone preparations were discontinued. No association, however, was found between HT and osteoporosis prevalence.

“Additional study is needed to investigate the influence of time since stopping hormone therapy as well as the differential effects of various doses and formulations on bone health, including fracture risk,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.

References:

1. Association of hormone preparations with bone mineral density, osteopenia, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37130380/)
2. The Global Burden of Osteoporosis, Low Bone Mass, and Its Related Fracture in 204 Countries and Territories, 1990-2019 - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9165055/)

Source-Eurekalert