Risk of Stroke and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Researchers writing in the medical journal Maturitas say that there is no significant association between hormone therapy and risk of total stroke in women during 10.5 years follow-up.

Lia C, Engströma G, Hedblada B, Berglundb G, Janzona L. Risk of stroke and hormone replacement therapy. Maturitas Volume 54, Issue 1 , 20 April 2006.

From the abstract:
Objective
The purpose of this study was to examine the risk of first-ever stroke in relation to use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) among middle-aged and older Swedish women.

Materials
A total of 16,906 women, 45–73 years old, from the ‘Diet and Cancer’ study in Malmö, Sweden were examined. Women were considered as HRT users if they took systemic hormone therapy regularly. Incidence of stroke was followed for a mean period of 10.5 years.

Results
In all, 2148 (12.7%) women used HRT. A total of 461 stroke cases occurred during follow-up, 48 of them in HRT users. Incidence of total stroke and ischemic subtype had no significant relation to HRT use. However, an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke was found in women taking unopposed estrogen or un-native estrogen regimens. Although not significantly, the risk of stroke was 33% lower in women who started their treatment before menopause. Among HRT users, the risk of stroke was associated with advancing age, smoking, excess body weight and hypertension.

Conclusions
There is no significant association between hormone therapy and risk of total stroke in women during 10.5

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Possible Cardiovascular Benefits in Women

Researchers writing in the medical journal Climacteric say that “Women who receive 2-3 years of HRT after menopause do not have increased all-cause mortality, and results of the present study suggest relative cardiovascular benefits compared to those who had not used hormones.”

Alexandersen P, Tanko LB, Bagger YZ, Qin G, Christiansen C.The long-term impact of 2-3 years of hormone replacement therapy on cardiovascular mortality and atherosclerosis in healthy women. Climacteric. 2006 Apr;9(2):108-18.

From the abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on cardiovascular risk is intensely debated. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of HRT given for a few years on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and the severity of atherosclerosis.

METHODS: This analysis was based on a cohort of 1,458 postmenopausal women (55.8 +/- 6.1 years old) who previously participated in a number of randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials assessing the efficacy of 2-3 years of therapy with various estrogen plus progestin combinations for preventing bone loss.

Women were followed on average for 9.8 years and came for a follow-up visit. Outcome variables were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and the severity of atherosclerosis, as estimated by semi-quantitative scoring of vascular calcification in the lumbar aorta on lateral radiographs.

CONCLUSION: Women who receive 2-3 years of HRT after menopause do not have increased all-cause mortality, and results of the present study suggest relative cardiovascular benefits compared to those who had not used hormones.

You, Aging, and Hormone Supplementation Therapy

Studies show that when we restore endocrine balance by augmenting hormone levels to their optimal ranges, quality of life improves and degenerative diseases decline.

Is hormone supplementation and age management medicine right for you?
Hormone supplementation has been practiced for decades. Commonly we hear of people who have been on “Thyroid” for over 30 years, and millions of women have been prescribed estrogen.

The typical patient who wants their hormones optimized are healthy middle-aged people that have started to notice some declines in their level of energy, who maybe for the first time in their lives “just didn’t feel like having sex,” who had lost some of the ambition and drive that they enjoyed only a few years ago.

They also notice that their waist line was getting a little wider and that things were sagging lower than before.

Is hormone replacement therapy right for you?
This is a decision you need to make with your physician. Before entering into hormone supplementation, please discuss the benefits, realistic goals, risks, dangers, and side-effects with your physician.

Hormone Supplementation Parts 1 2 3