J Korean Soc Menopause.  2012 Dec;18(3):133-138.

Mortality Associated with Hormone Replacement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea. yjna@pusan.ac.kr

Abstract

There was controversy about decrease in mortality as the eventual result of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The reduction of mortality was known in large observational-cohort studies in women with HRT compared with non-HRT after correction of confounding factors. The second analysis of Women's Health Initiative (WHI) results revealed that the 30% decrease in mortality was observed in HRT users. These findings resemble with the results of past observational studies. The meta-analysis including the second analysis of WHI results showed that HRT use in young menopausal women decrease the mortality. Although there was a chaos about the risk and benefit of HRT since the first announcement of WHI study in 2002, HRT in young menopausal women could decrease the morbidity and mortality related to coronary heart disease and stroke.

Keyword

Hormone; Menopause; Mortality

MeSH Terms

Coronary Disease
Female
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Humans
Menopause
Stroke
Women's Health

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Risks and benefits of hormone therapy in women starting between the ages of 50 and 59 year or less than 10 year after the start of menopause. [Reprinted from "Postmenopausal hormone therapy: an Endocrine Society scientific statement", by Santen RJ, Allred DC, Ardoin SP, Archer DF, Boyd N, Braunstein GD, Burger HG, Colditz GA, Davis SR, Gambacciani M, Gower BA, Henderson VW, Jarjour WN, Karas RH, Kleerekoper M, Lobo RA, Manson JE, Marsden J, Martin KA, Martin L, Pinkerton JV, Rubinow DR, Teede H, Thiboutot DM and Utian WH, 2010, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 95, pp.s1-66. Copyright 2010 by the Endocrine Society. Reprinted with permission].


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