Now, two new studies in June's Fertility and Sterility indicate that taking a lower dose of hormones still has the beneficial effects with fewer side effects. An associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the MidLife Health Center at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va., Pinkerton co-authored one of the studies. That type of reduction in the occurrence of the bleeding episodes will enhance consumer willingness to comply with medication. This new formulation is a lower dose than Wyeth-Ayerst's current Prempro formulation, but other manufacturers make hormone replacement therapies with slightly different versions of female hormones that are also quite low dose. These products also have been shown to reduce symptoms of menopause effectively with a low risk of side effects.
Church is an obstetrician and gynecologist in private practice in Chicago.
This large research project took place at many health centers across the nation and involved more than 2,600 healthy, menopausal women. The women were given either current or lower doses of estrogen or progestin or a combination of both therapies. Some women received only placebo, for comparative purposes. Neither the women nor the researchers knew until the end of the study who received which medication. After one year, the researchers examined the effect of each medication dose on hot flashes, vaginal bleeding, and vaginal changes.