Hormone therapy does not improve quality of life for women

	Tweet

Finnish postmenopausal hormone therapy trial indicates

A postmenopausal hormone therapy trial conducted in Estonia indicates that hormone therapy does not improve women’s quality of life. The group receiving hormones and the comparison group showed no differences in general quality of life. Only those women that experienced hot flashes and night-time sweating reported beneficial effects. These results were obtained from the Estonian Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy trial (EPHT) funded by the Academy of Finland and conducted under the leadership of Research Professor Elina Hemminki from the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (Stakes).

The trial examined the effects of hormone therapy on utilisation of health care services, onset of illnesses, and well-being. In 1999–2001, 1,823 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 64 were recruited in the Tallinn and Tartu regions. The women took the research medication for 2 to 5 years. Estonia was selected for the trial because hormone therapy is already established in Finland and physicians have a very positive attitude towards its use. Hormone therapy is still rare in Estonia.

Hormone therapy led to an increased number of health care visits and increased treatment costs. In comparison to the control group, more lower abdominal ultrasounds and electrocardiograms were performed on the group receiving hormone therapy, but there were no differences in the number of gynaecological or breast surgeries, bone density measurement or mammography.

The women receiving hormone therapy showed slightly more cardiovascular disease, cerebral circulatory disease and cancer in comparison to the women who did not take hormones. However, these differences were not statistically significant. The hormone recipients had less fractures and less hot flashes and night-time sweating than the comparison group, but they also had more flow. There were no differences in depression, sleep disorders, fatigue, dizziness or bloating.

The EPHT trial is the first European randomised controlled long-term hormone therapy trial. The women in this trial were younger than those in the American WHI study completed earlier. Furthermore, the effect of postmenopausal hormones on use of healthcare services was studied for the first time. In addition to Stakes, other participants in the trial were the University of Tampere, the University of Tartu and the National Institute for Health Development (TAI) from Estonia.

RELATED STORIES:
Pill Among Least Effective Birth Control Methods   70 percent of women use contraceptives during their first sexual encounter   Long-term contraception more effective than pills   Gay couples and women over 40 to get free IVF treatment on NHS   Health secretary urges contraception compromise   Contraceptive ring, patch carry blood clot risks   Reminder Stamp Boosts HPV Vaccination   Study adds to evidence on clot risks of non-oral contraceptives   HPV vaccine completion rate among girls is poor, getting worse   Some ob-gyns cite religious conflicts over care   After IVF, some couples get pregnant without help   Web Tool Offers Map to Menopause   Early Menopause Could Also Mean Early Death   Does soy help cool hot flashes after all?   Caffeine not tied to worsening urinary incontinence

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]