Hormone replacement therapy

This article is about hormone replacement therapy in menopause. For transgender applications, see Gender-affirming hormone therapy. For other forms, see Hormone therapy.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause.[1][2] Effects of menopause can include symptoms such as hot flashes, accelerated skin aging, vaginal dryness, decreased muscle mass, and complications such as osteoporosis (bone loss), sexual dysfunction, and vaginal atrophy. They are mostly caused by low levels of female sex hormones (e.g. estrogens) that occur during menopause.[1][2]

Estrogens and progestogens are the main hormone drugs used in HRT. Progesterone is the main female sex hormone that occurs naturally and is also manufactured into a drug that is used in menopausal hormone therapy.[1] Although both classes of hormones can have symptomatic benefit, progestogen is specifically added to estrogen regimens, unless the uterus has been removed, to avoid the increased risk of endometrial cancer. Unopposed estrogen therapy promotes endometrial hyperplasia and increases the risk of cancer, while progestogen reduces this risk.[3][4] Androgens like testosterone are sometimes used as well.[5] HRT is available through a variety of different routes.[1][2]

The long-term effects of HRT on most organ systems vary by age and time since the last physiological exposure to hormones, and there can be large differences in individual regimens, factors which have made analyzing effects difficult.[6] The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is an ongoing study of over 27,000 women that began in 1991, with the most recent analyses suggesting that, when initiated within 10 years of menopause, HRT reduces all-cause mortality and risks of coronary disease, osteoporosis, and dementia; after 10 years the beneficial effects on mortality and coronary heart disease are no longer apparent, though there are decreased risks of hip and vertebral fractures and an increased risk of venous thromboembolism when taken orally.[7][8]

"Bioidentical" hormone replacement is a development in the 21st century and uses manufactured compounds with "exactly the same chemical and molecular structure as hormones that are produced in the human body."[9] These are mainly manufactured from plant steroids[10] and can be a component of either registered pharmaceutical or custom-made compounded preparations, with the latter generally not recommended by regulatory bodies due to their lack of standardization and formal oversight.[11] Bioidentical hormone replacement has inadequate clinical research to determine its safety and efficacy as of 2017.[12]

The current indications for use from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms, such as vasomotor hot flashes or vaginal atrophy, and prevention of osteoporosis.[13]

  1. ^ a b c d Stuenkel CA, Davis SR, Gompel A, Lumsden MA, Murad MH, Pinkerton JV, Santen RJ (November 2015). "Treatment of Symptoms of the Menopause: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline" (PDF). J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 100 (11): 3975–4011. doi:10.1210/jc.2015-2236. PMID 26444994.
  2. ^ a b c Santen RJ, Allred DC, Ardoin SP, Archer DF, Boyd N, Braunstein GD, Burger HG, Colditz GA, Davis SR, Gambacciani M, Gower BA, Henderson VW, Jarjour WN, Karas RH, Kleerekoper M, Lobo RA, Manson JE, Marsden J, Martin KA, Martin L, Pinkerton JV, Rubinow DR, Teede H, Thiboutot DM, Utian WH (July 2010). "Postmenopausal hormone therapy: an Endocrine Society scientific statement". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 95 (7 Suppl 1): s1–s66. doi:10.1210/jc.2009-2509. PMC 6287288. PMID 20566620.
  3. ^ Shuster, Lynne T.; Rhodes, Deborah J.; Gostout, Bobbie S.; Grossardt, Brandon R.; Rocca, Walter A. (2010). "Premature menopause or early menopause: Long-term health consequences". Maturitas. 65 (2): 161–166. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.08.003. ISSN 0378-5122. PMC 2815011. PMID 19733988.
  4. ^ Eden KJ, Wylie KR (1 July 2009). "Quality of sexual life and menopause". Women's Health. 6 (4): 385–396. doi:10.2217/WHE.09.24. PMID 19586430.
  5. ^ Ziaei S., Moghasemi M., Faghihzadeh S. (2010). "Comparative effects of conventional hormone replacement therapy and tibolone on climacteric symptoms and sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women". Climacteric. 13 (3): 147–156. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2006.04.014. PMID 16730929.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Manson, JE; Aragaki, AK; Rossouw, JE; Anderson, GL; Prentice, RL; LaCroix, AZ; Chlebowski, RT; Howard, BV; Thomson, CA; Margolis, KL; Lewis, CE; Stefanick, ML; Jackson, RD; Johnson, KC; Martin, LW; Shumaker, SA; Espeland, MA; Wactawski-Wende, J; WHI, Investigators. (12 September 2017). "Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Long-term All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trials". JAMA. 318 (10): 927–938. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.11217. PMC 5728370. PMID 28898378.
  7. ^ Langer, RD; Hodis, HN; Lobo, RA; Allison, MA (February 2021). "Hormone replacement therapy – where are we now?". Climacteric. 24 (1): 3–10. doi:10.1080/13697137.2020.1851183. PMID 33403881. S2CID 230783545.
  8. ^ Løkkegaard, E; Nielsen, LH; Keiding, N (August 2017). "Risk of Stroke With Various Types of Menopausal Hormone Therapies: A National Cohort Study". Stroke. 48 (8): 2266–2269. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.017132. PMID 28626058. S2CID 207579406.
  9. ^ Files, JA; Ko, MG; Pruthi, S (July 2011). "Bioidentical hormone therapy". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 86 (7): 673–80, quiz 680. doi:10.4065/mcp.2010.0714. PMC 3127562. PMID 21531972.
  10. ^ "Bioidentical hormones". Cleveland Clinic. 12 December 2012.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference pmid21464264 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cobin, RH; Goodman, NF; AACE Reproductive Endocrinology Scientific, Committee. (1 July 2017). "Position Statement on Menopause – 2017 Update" (PDF). Endocrine Practice. 23 (7): 869–880. doi:10.4158/EP171828.PS. PMID 28703650. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  13. ^ "USPTF Consensus Statement". 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.