Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Long-term All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials -

Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Long-term All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Trials
Information type: Other primary research
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Specialities: Endocrine system disorders | Obstetrics and gynaecology
Summary
Jointly published results from 2 RCTs did not find an increased risk for all-cause, cardiovascular or cancer mortality for conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (median 5.6 years treatment), or CEE alone (median 7.2 years treatment) vs placebo.
UKMi comment
A related editorial discusses this research. Overall, the results of these trials expand the understanding of the long-term risks and benefits of hormone therapy, an important issue for women around the world. The findings provide reassurance that there is no longterm increase in either all-cause or cause-specific mortality among women who received hormone therapy for up to 5.6 years (combination estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy group) or 7.2 years (estrogen-alone group). This information will be helpful in counseling women considering whether to start hormone therapy and hopefully will alleviate concerns that many patients and physicians have about the initiation of hormone therapy. For women with troubling vasomotor symptoms, premature menopause, or early-onset osteoporosis, hormone therapy appears to be both safe and efficacious.
Related links: Editorial