1. Uterine bleeding with hormone therapies in menopausal women: a systematic review.
- Author
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Pickar JH, Archer DF, Goldstein SR, Kagan R, Bernick B, and Mirkin S
- Subjects
- Administration, Cutaneous, Administration, Oral, Estrogen Replacement Therapy methods, Estrogens administration & dosage, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Progesterone administration & dosage, Estrogen Replacement Therapy adverse effects, Estrogens adverse effects, Menopause drug effects, Progesterone adverse effects, Uterine Hemorrhage chemically induced
- Abstract
Uterine bleeding is a common reason why women discontinue menopausal hormone therapy (HT). This systematic review compared bleeding profiles reported in studies for continuous-combined HT approved in North America and Europe for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women with a uterus. Non-head-to-head studies showed that uterine bleeding varies by formulation and administration route, with oral having a better bleeding profile than transdermal formulations. Cumulative amenorrhea over a year ranged from 18 to 61% with oral HT and from 9 to 27% with transdermal HT, as reported for continuous-combined HT containing 17β-estradiol (E2)/progesterone (P4) (56%), E2/norethisterone acetate (NETA) (49%), E2/drospirenone (45%), conjugated equine estrogens/medroxyprogesterone acetate (18-54%), ethinyl estradiol/NETA (31-61%), E2/levonorgestrel patch (16%), and E2/NETA patch (9-27%). Amenorrhea rates and the mean number of bleeding/spotting days improved over time. The oral E2/P4 combination was amongst those with lower bleeding rates and may be an appropriate alternative for millions of women seeking bioidentical HT and/or those who have bleeding concerns with other HT.
- Published
- 2020
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