Hormone replacement therapy can only delay menopause symptoms, not eliminate them entirely, a study by University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers has found.
The study, derived from the Women’s Health Initiative, took into account the responses of about 8,405 women between the ages of 50 and 79 years. While some of these women were given estrogen-progestin pills called Prempro, others were given placebo pills, for a period of eight years.
The research team found that overall about 21 per cent of those taking Prempro experienced moderate to severe menopause symptoms when they stopped taking the pills, as against 5 per cent of those in the placebo group. In addition, 55.5 per cent of those who experienced moderate to severe hot flashes before starting on the pill saw a recurrence when they stopped, as against 21 per cent of those on a placebo.
“You can’t necessarily expect to just skip that stage,” said Dr Judith Ockene, lead author of the study, adding, “For a large percentage, hormones may be delaying the symptoms rather than eradicating them, so women need to ask, ‘Is there something else I can do?’”
Her colleague Dr Jennifer Hays added, “When we first started looking at the effects of hormone supplementation, we had expected to see dramatic improvements in women’s health. We haven’t found them.” In some cases, the symptoms returned as late as 10 years after the age of menopause after the pills were stopped.
The findings of the research bust the belief that hormonal pills alleviate symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and depression. Millions of women worldwide opt for hormonal replacement therapy to coast through menopause easily.
“The bottom line is that the more we study hormone therapy, the less attractive it seems and the more we realize how much money women have been wasting — and continue to waste — on this therapy,” said Diana Zuckerman, president, National Research Center for Women and Families.
However, many of the women who experienced a recurrence of menopause symptoms found relief in ‘lifestyle changes’ like higher intake of fluids, exercise and yoga, said Hays. “Even though there’s not a lot of evidence on these strategies, they’re not harmful,” Ockene added. However, she said that further study need to see how effective gradual weaning from the hormone therapy might be as against sudden stoppage.
The findings of the study have been published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
