This medication helps with my menopause symptoms, and I feel very good taking this medication, but it worries me every time I see this commercial. When taking any medication, it's important to weigh the risks and benefits. Prempro is a combination of estrogen and progestin. In essence, Prempro combines Premarin and Provera so that women who take both, on a daily basis, only need to take one pill. Women who have had a hysterectomy do not need to worry about this risk, and therefore do not need to take a progestin with estrogen.
Progesterones can cause bloating, breast tenderness, irritability and depression.
And adding progesterone to estrogen can lead to other risks. A large clinical trial of Prempro found a negative effect on glucose tolerance and less favorable effects on lipid metabolism when compared with Premarin alone. Most menopausal women who've had endometriosis can take estrogen without causing the endometriosis to grow back. But for some, even a small dose of estrogen may lead to pain. For others, a higher dose of estrogen may be needed to control their menopausal symptoms, which in turn can lead to a regrowth of endometriosis.