New report: Transdermal HRT does not increase heart risks

Read all about the new report about HRT:

(Reuters) - Women who take hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms do not have a higher than usual risk of heart attack, especially if they use a cream or skin patch or take "cyclic" hormone combinations, Danish researchers reported on Tuesday.

Their study, published in the European Heart Journal, suggests it is not hormone replacement therapy that raises the risk of heart attacks in women, but the way it is taken.

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What do you think? I'm very excited! This is great news for those of us who take transdermal HRT. Its also great news that more research is underway for HRT other than the pills.

There are a lot of great things about patches! I love that the liver is not used.

This is wonderful! It is about time someone did a study on transdermal HRT. I will pass this article along to friends and family. Thanks, Kathy!

Thanks for sharing. It's great to hear something positive.

I have never let the WHI studies concern me - as it's clear that they studied a population of women who were in different circumstances than most of us. They were much older, and they took a form of hrt that seems not widely used by the women on this board.

thanks for the article kathy. my best friend uses the patch and has tried to wean herself many times because she's terrified of getting breast cancer (her mother had it) and heart problems. her dr. has repeatedly reassured her that she is getting the smallest dose. she always goes back to it because without the hrt patch, she cannot sleep and the hot flashes/nightsweats are unbearable, especially since she works shifts.

This article is interesting and supports what my doctors have been saying. It does make me wonder about oral estrogen. My doctor started me on the patch but it wasn't strong enough so I was switched to oral. My cholesterol jumped from 198 prior to surgery to 255 just 3 months after surgery. My gyn says it is because the oral estrogen goes through the liver. I was switched to Evamist which is transdermal. I hope when I go back for my repeat test in a few months, its back to normal. After reading this article I am more skeptical of oral estragen than I was before.

Thanks Kathy, I was pleased to read this article when it came out too. Here are some thoughts I've had about the WHO study:

1. You put a 65yo woman who hasn't had any hormones for 10 years on oral Premarin she will be stressed. Stress can cause all sorts of problems. Stupid way to test IMHO. Who in the world would start HRT suddenly at 65?

2. A BSO commonly causes a big, temporary, jump in lipids. Higher LDL, lower HDL. Mine went up pts 50 points too!! This may be a window to start CVD particlarly in a 50+ woman. DOH! So maybe the few surgically menopausal women in the study had that problem.

3. The increased (suspected) risks don't justify the stress suddenly dropping HRT causes. Again, stress = problems. Just the lack of sleep is very hard on your whole body, not to mention the fear the WHO study caused.

4. I wonder how many women aren't going in for yearly mamos and pap tests because they don't need their HRT Rx rewritten. Could this be why the number of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer has dropped. I sure hope not.

Just some thoughts I've been having about this. Sure wish I had more than 12 minutes to discuss this with my gyn!

I've been waiting a long time for a report/research that studies non-oral HRT. It just makes sense that bypassing the liver will give different results than oral meds. My doctor has repeatedly said that the WH1/Premarin study isn't applicable to those of us on bio-HRT. This artilce looks like the research we have been asking for.