Women Experience Symptoms After Stopping Hormone Therapy
Reported July 13, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A new study shows some women continue to experience hot flashes or night sweats after stopping menopausal hormone therapy.
Women frequently cite relief of vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes or night sweats, and improvement in well being as reasons for starting or continuing the use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). However, researchers who conducted the Women’s Health Initiative estrogen plus progestin (WHI E + P) trial found the overall health risks of taking conjugated equine estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate (CEE + MPA) for disease prevention exceed the benefits. That conclusion changed guidelines and prescribing practices.
Judith K. Ockene, Ph.D., M.Ed., and researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass., conducted a study to determine the symptoms experienced as participants of the WHI E + P trial discontinued hormone therapy. They surveyed 8,405 women at 40 clinical centers who were still taking CEE + MPA or placebo when the estrogen plus progestin intervention was stopped. Eight to 12 months after the stop date, surveys were mailed to each participant.
Researchers reported that about 21 percent of former CEE + MPA and about 4 percent of placebo group respondents still experienced moderate or severe vasomotor symptoms after stopping hormone therapy.
“Short-term use of CEE + MPA may only alleviate symptoms temporarily for many women, including older women, who may experience a return of menopausal symptoms after stopping MHT,” the authors conclude. “A wide range of lifestyle and medical strategies to manage symptoms may help. Further test of the efficacy of these management strategies for women whose symptoms recur after discontinuing short-term MHT is warranted.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2005;294:183-193