ASRM:Press Release

A new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) indicates that women who begin hormone therapy close to the time they enter menopause tend to have a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, while women who start hormone therapy after they are further into menopause have an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

In a report published in the April 4, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), investigators at the Women's Health Initiative Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute conduct a secondary analysis of WHI data a and show that there were no increases in risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, or a global disease events index among women aged 50 to 59 years taking conjugated equine estrogens (CE) alone or CE and medroxyprogesterone acetate compared to those taking placebo. There was also a suggestion of reduced mortality in the younger women using estrogen. Risks increased with age and were greatest among women over age 70.

"These data are consistent with recommendations from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that estrogen is a viable treatment option for symptomatic women who develop hot flashes, night sweats, and discomfort with intercourse around the time of menopause," remarked Robert W. Rebar, MD, ASRM Executive Director. "Most women require hormone therapy for only a few years to alleviate their symptoms, and this analysis indicates that hormone therapy is generally safe for healthy women."

ASRM President Steven J. Ory, MD, added, "Although the researchers note that these findings did not meet their criterion for statistical significance, they are consistent with previous suggestions that estrogens may protect against development of CHD in some women when treatment is initiated at or near menopause, prior to the development of significant atherosclerosis. Additional studies, now underway, will help resolve these questions."

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, founded in 1944, is an organization of approximately 8,500 physicians, researchers, nurses, technicians, and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive biology. Affiliated societies include the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons.

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