The doses of each agent utilized The balance between the estrogen and progestin Conclusions Several HRT options are available to the healthcare professional treating menopausal women. Each HRT has its own advantages and disadvantages. In order to achieve the long-term health benefits of HRT, adherence to therapy must be improved. One impediment to long-term adherence is uterine bleeding and spotting. A particular agent's bleeding profile must be weighed along with its other strengths and weaknesses when selecting the therapy most likely to satisfy the patient's individual treatment needs.
Sequential regimens feature a predictable bleeding pattern.
Patients using this form of HRT know that they will most likely bleed during or following the progestin treatment interval. There are numerous factors that may contribute to the uterine bleeding profile of ccHRTs. Whatever the biological basis, it does appear that there are important differences among ccHRT agents. Since unwanted bleeding accounts for a high percentage of adherence failures, it is necessary for health care professionals to familiarize themselves with these bleeding data and the terms used to describe them. Without doing so it is impossible to appreciate the sometimes subtle differences between them.