Patent ID: 8026228

Claim:
A method of hormone replacement in mammals comprising orally administering an estrogenic component and a progestogenic component to a mammal in an effective amount to treat symptoms of hypoestrogenism, the estrogenic component being selected from the group consisting of estetrol; precursors capable of liberating estetrol when used in the present method, which precursors are derivatives of estetrol, wherein the hydrogen atom of at least one of the hydroxyl groups has been substituted by an acyl radical of a hydrocarbon carboxylic, sulfonic or sulfamic acid of 1-25 carbon atoms; tetrahydrofuranyl; tetrahydropyranal; or a straight or branched chain glycosidic residue containing 1-20 glycosidic units per residue; and mixtures of estetrol and the precursors.