Preventive effects of transdermal administration of 17 beta-estradiol on postmenopausal bone loss: a 2-year prospective study

Article Abstract:

Bone density declines after menopause, leading to an increased risk of fracture, but when postmenopausal women take oral estrogen (a female hormone), they significantly reduce their risk of bone density loss (which is also referred to as osteoporosis.) However, the hormone may have negative effects on other aspects of metabolism. Progestogens (other female hormones, also called progestational), often included in the oral preparation, are needed to prevent the development of cancer of the uterine lining (which may be induced by estrogen alone). These agents also affect carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Another way estrogen (17 beta-estradiol, the naturally occurring hormone) can be taken is via transdermal patch. (A patch, placed on the skin, contains the drug, which is then absorbed). In such cases, the estrogen is combined with natural progesterone or a progestogen without masculinizing side effects. Results are presented of a study of 44 women in early menopause, half of whom wore a transdermal patch and received oral progestogens. The other half received no treatment. Subjects were examined regularly, with bone mass measurement taking place before treatment and at regular intervals thereafter. After two years, women who received the hormone treatment had a bone mass gain of 5.4 percent, while those who were untreated lost an average of 4.3 percent of their bone mass. The levels of factors in the blood that indicate the rate of bone resorption (loss) declined for the treated group, beginning in the second month of treatment. Blood concentrations of estradiol were low. Overall, transdermal administration of 17 beta-estradiol appears effective in preventing loss of bone mass. The transdermal approach is associated with better patient compliance than the oral route. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Prevention, Drug therapy, Bone diseases, Transdermal medication, Transdermal drug delivery systems, Osteoporosis

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A prospective one-year study of estrogen and progestin in postmenopausal women: effects on clinical symptoms and lipoprotein lipids

Article Abstract:

Hormone replacement therapy may be used in women during and after menopause to relieve menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes. Ninety-five healthy women were treated either with a combination of two hormones (estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate) or with estrogen alone. Both groups were further broken down to receive two different doses of estrogen. All four treatment combinations successfully controlled hot flushes, but patients who received more estrogen, regardless of whether or not they had received medroxyprogesterone acetate, had higher energy levels and an increased sense of well-being. The metabolism of lipids (fats) improved during all four treatments, but the process was distinctly related to dosage. The results provide a guideline for the treatment of postmenopausal women with different doses of oral estrogen and progestin, and for the effects of hormone therapy on symptoms and lipid metabolism.

Lipid metabolism, Estrogen, Estrogens

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Metabolic effects of continuous estradiol-progestin therapy in postmenopausal women

Article Abstract:

Hormone replacement therapy may be used in women during and after menopause to relieve symptoms of menopause, including hot flushes. During menopause, production of progesterone and estrogen, the female sex hormones, decreases. Sixty postmenopausal women with symptoms of menopause were treated with the hormone estradiol with one of two dosages of either norethisterone acetate or megestrol acetate, both of which are types of progesterone hormones (progestin types). Blood samples were analyzed for levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, the major lipid (fat) transported through the blood. Cholesterol levels in the blood dropped significantly in all groups except one. Measurements of lipoproteins were also analyzed. Both types of progestin influenced cholesterol metabolism equally. The hormone dosage for women requiring hormone replacement therapy should be determined by the clinical efficacy and acceptance.

Physiological aspects, Cholesterol metabolism

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