The Menopause Society

TMS 2024: Estrogen-based therapies show promise for heart health in menopausal women

September 19, 2024

Certain estrogen-based hormone therapies may have favorable long-term effects on heart health, according to findings presented at the 2024 annual meeting of The Menopause Society.

The study, based on data from the Women's Health Initiative, found that both conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) alone and CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) improved CV biomarkers, except for triglycerides. HDL-C increased by 13% and 7% for CEE-alone and CEE plus MPA, respectively. LDL-C decreased by approximately 11% for both therapies. Additionally, insulin resistance and lipoprotein(a) levels showed significant reductions.

Lead author Dr. Matthew Nudy from Penn State Hershey Medical Center noted that while CEE alone showed slightly more favorable effects, both therapies performed well overall. “Future research should assess whether other progestogen formulations may be less likely to attenuate estrogen’s long-term effect on cholesterol,” said Nudy.

Source:

(2024, September 9). The Menopause Society. Is hormone therapy good for heart health? [Press release]. https://menopause.org/press-releases/is-hormone-therapy-good-for-heart-health