Pros and Cons of Menopausal Hormone Therapy

Hormonal treatment in menopause is both good and bad for women’s health. The picture is complex and the scientific evidence is scanty or only moderately solid, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine. The focus is on women’s health associated with menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) involving estrogen replacement during menopause.

All effects of MHT on health found in previous systematic reviews registered in leading databases up to 2017 were included in the present study. The scientists surveyed the evidence and scrutinized methods.

The research included showed that women receiving MHT are at lower risk for bone fracture, diabetes, and cancer of the esophagus, stomach, and colon. But their risk of getting a stroke, blood clot, gallbladder disease, and breast and ovarian cancer is higher.

According to the researchers, research on the impact of MHT on overall mortality in women aged up to 60, or in the ten years following the last menstrual period, was inconclusive.

The general picture researchers provide is that the quality of the systematic research reviews that have been examined is low or moderately good only.

Under current guidelines, women can be offered MHT with estrogen for unpleasant menopausal symptoms, and for preventive purposes, if their osteoporosis risk is elevated, as long as the risk of cardiovascular disease is low and there is no other reason to withhold MHT.

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The whole spectrum of effects along with women's values and preferences must be taken into account in treatment decisions.

Non-hormonal therapies may also be considered. Clinically active researchers should also evaluate the strength of evidence in systematic reviews.

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Source-Medindia