MENOPAUSE

Medicines to Help You

Menopause (sometimes called “the change 

of life”) is a normal time in a woman’s life 

when her period stops. During menopause, 

a woman’s body makes less of the hormones 

estrogen and progesterone. Lower hormone 

levels may lead to symptoms like night 

sweats, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness 

along with thin bones.

Some women choose to treat their 

menopause symptoms with hormone 

medicines sometimes called Hormone 

Therapy. There are different types of 

hormone medicines used during and after 

menopause:

• Estrogen-Only Medicines

• Progestin-Only Medicines

• Combination Estrogen and 

Progestin Medicines

• Combination Estrogen and 

Other Medicines

Some women choose to treat 

their menopause symptoms with 

hormone medicines. This booklet 

lists some basic information about 

the FDA-approved hormone 

medicines for menopause. Use 

this booklet to help you talk to 

your healthcare provider about 

whether hormone medicines are 

right for you.

FDA Office of Women’s Health

www.fda.gov/menopause

This booklet does not talk about nonhormone medicines for menopause. 

Ask your healthcare provider about the 

FDA-approved non-hormone medicine for 

menopause called Brisdelle (paroxetine).
Learn more about menopause at www.fda.gov/menopause

This page was intentionally left blank.
Side Effects

Hormone medicines can have side 

effects. Serious health problems can 

happen in women who take menopause 

hormone therapy.

This booklet does not list all of the side effects and warnings for each hormone 

medicine. Ask your healthcare provider about all of the benefits and risks of 

taking hormone medicines. Also check the FDA website to learn more about each 

medicine listed in this booklet.

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/

• For some women, hormone medicines 

may raise their chances of blood clots, 

heart attacks, strokes, and breast 

cancer.

• For some women who are 65 years old 

or older, hormone medicines may raise 

their chances of dementia.

• For women who still have their uterus, 

taking estrogen-only medicines raises 

their chance of getting cancer of the 

lining of the uterus or endometrial 

cancer. These women need to take 

progestin to prevent endometrial 

cancer.

Do not take hormone therapy if you:

• have problems with vaginal bleeding

• have or have had certain cancers such 

as breast cancer or uterine cancer

• have or have had a blood clot, stroke 

or heart attack

• have a bleeding disorder

• have liver disease

• have allergic reactions to hormone 

medicine

3
BRAND NAME GENERIC NAME PRODUCT TYPE

 Alora estradiol Patch

 Cenestin synthetic conjugated estrogens Pill

 Climara estradiol Patch

 Delestrogen estradiol valerate Injection (Shot)

 Divigel estradiol Gel

 Elestrin estradiol Gel

 Enjuvia synthetic conjugated estrogens Pill

 Esclim estradiol Patch

 Estrace estradiol Pill, Vaginal Cream

 Estraderm estradiol Patch

 Estrasorb estradiol Skin Cream (Emulsion)

 Estring estradiol Vaginal Insert

 EstroGel estradiol Gel

 Evamist estradiol Skin Spray (Transdermal)

 Femring estradiol acetate Vaginal Ring

 Femtrace estradiol acetate Pill

 Menest esterified estrogen Pill

 Menostar

(only used to prevent osteoporosis) estradiol Patch

 Minivelle estradiol Patch

 Ogen estropipate Pill, Vaginal Cream

 Ortho-Est estropipate Pill

 Osphena

(not estrogen only) ospemifene Pill

 Premarin conjugated estrogens Pill, Vaginal Cream, 

Injection (Shot) 

 Vagifem estradiol Vaginal Tablet

 Vivelle estradiol Patch

 Vivelle-Dot estradiol Patch

Diabetes Medicines Estrogen-Only Medicines

4
Diabetes Medicines Estrogen-Only Medicines

5

• Stroke or blood clots 

• Endometrial cancer in women who still 

have their uterus and who do not use 

progestin with estrogen-only medicines 

• Dementia in women 65 years and older 

• Gallbladder disease or high triglyceride 

(cholesterol) levels that could lead to 

problems with your pancreas 

• Vision loss caused by a blood clot 

in the eye 

• Liver problems 

• High blood pressure 

• Severe allergic reactions

For more information about the risks and side effects for each drug, check: 

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/

• have unusual vaginal bleeding 

• have or have had certain cancers such as breast cancer or uterine cancer 

• have or have had blood clots in the legs or lungs 

• have a bleeding disorder 

• have had a stroke or heart attack 

• have liver problems 

• have serious reactions to estrogen medicines 

• think you are pregnant

Do not use if you:

Serious Side Effects Less Serious, Common Side Effects

• Headaches 

• Painful or tender breasts 

• Vaginal spotting

• Stomach cramps/bloating 

• Nausea and vomiting 

• Hair loss

• Fluid retention 

• Vaginal yeast infection
6

BRAND NAME GENERIC NAME PRODUCT TYPE

Prometrium micronized progesterone Pill

 Provera medroxyprogesterone acetate Pill

Diabetes Medicines Progestin-Only Medicines
Progestin-Only Medicines

Progestin-Only Medicines

Estrogen-only medicines are usually taken with progestin-only medicines to lower the 

chance of getting endometrial cancer in women who still have their uterus.

The side effects listed below are for women who take a progestin-only medicine and an 

estrogen-only medicine.

Do not use if you:

• have unusual vaginal bleeding 

• have or have had certain cancers such as breast cancer or uterine cancer 

• have or have had blood clots in the legs or lungs 

• have a bleeding disorder 

• have had a stroke or heart attack 

• have liver problems 

• have serious reactions to estrogen medicines 

• think you are pregnant

For more information about the risks and side effects for each drug, check:

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/

Serious Side Effects

• Heart attack or stroke 

• Blood clots 

• Breast cancer

• Dementia in women 65 years and older 

• Gallbladder disease or high triglyceride 

(cholesterol) levels that could lead to 

problems with your pancreas 

• Vision loss caused by a blood clot 

in the eye

• Liver problems 

• High blood pressure 

• Severe allergic reactions

Less Serious, Common Side Effects

• Headaches 

• Painful or tender breasts 

• Vaginal spotting

• Stomach cramps/bloating 

• Nausea and vomiting 

• Hair loss

• Fluid retention 

• Vaginal yeast infection

7
Diabetes Medicines Combination Estrogen and Progestin Medicines

 BRAND NAME GENERIC NAME PRODUCT TYPE 

 Activella estradiol/norethindrone acetate Pill

 Angeliq estradiol/drospirenone Pill

 Climara Pro estradiol/levonrgestrel Patch

 Combipatch estradiol/norethindrone acetate Patch

 Femhrt norethindrone acetate/ethinyl estradiol Pill

 Prefest estradiol/norgestimate Pill

 Prempro conjugated estrogen/medroxyprogesterone Pill

8
Serious Side Effects

• Heart attack or stroke 

• Blood clots 

• Breast cancer

• Dementia in women 65 years and older 

• Gallbladder disease or high triglyceride 

(cholesterol) levels that could lead to 

problems with your pancreas 

• Vision loss caused by a blood clot 

in the eye

• Liver problems 

• High blood pressure 

• Severe allergic reaction

Diabetes Medicines Combination Estrogen and Progestin Medicines

Less Serious, Common Side Effects

• Headaches 

• Painful or tender breasts 

• Vaginal spotting

• Stomach cramps/bloating 

• Nausea and vomiting 

• Hair loss

• Fluid retention 

• Vaginal yeast infection

Do not use if you:

• have unusual vaginal bleeding 

• have or have had certain cancers such as breast cancer or uterine cancer 

• have or have had blood clots in the legs or lungs 

• have a bleeding disorder 

• have had a stroke or heart attack 

• have liver problems 

• have serious reactions to estrogen medicines 

• think you are pregnant

For more information about the risks and side effects for each drug, check: 

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/

9
Do not use if you:

• have unusual vaginal bleeding 

• have or have had certain cancers such as breast cancer or uterine cancer 

• have or have had blood clots in the legs or lungs 

• have a bleeding disorder 

• have had a stroke or heart attack 

• have liver problems 

• have had a serious allergic reaction to estrogen medicines 

• think you are pregnant or may become pregnant 

• are breastfeeding (nursing)

BRAND NAME GENERIC NAME PRODUCT TYPE

 Duavee conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene Pill

Diabetes Medicines Combination Estrogen and Other Medicines

You should not use Duavee if you are taking medicines that have estrogen, progestin, or 

both hormones.

For more information about the risks and side effects for each drug, check:

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/

10

Serious Side Effects

• Stroke or blood clots 

• Dementia in women 65 years and older 

• Gallbladder disease or high triglyceride 

(cholesterol) levels that could lead to 

problems with your pancreas 

• Vision loss caused by a blood clot 

in the eye

• Liver problems 

• High blood pressure 

• Severe allergic reaction

Less Serious, Common Side Effects

• Muscle spasms 

• Nausea 

• Diarrhea

• Upset stomach/stomach pain 

• Throat pain 

• Dizziness 

• Neck pain
Important Questions to Ask About Menopause Hormone Medicines

Are hormones right for me? Why?

What are the benefits?

What are the serious risks and common side effects?

How long should I use hormone therapy?

What is the lowest dose that will work for me?

Are there any non-hormone medicines that I can take?

11
To get other women’s health materials, go to: www.fda.gov/womens

This booklet was developed by the FDA Office of Women’s Health. 

This booklet should not be used in place of talking to your 

healthcare provider or reading the label for your medicine. 

The drug and risk information may change. Check the FDA 

website for the latest facts for each product listed in this booklet.

2017