Menopause news

KEEPS trial results

10 October 2012

Results of the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS), presented at the North American Menopause Society annual conference last week, has shown that HRT started soon after the menopause appears safe and relieves many menopausal symptoms, as well as improving mood and cardiovascular risk markers.

KEEPS was a 4 year randomized, placebo controlled trial of low dose oral or estrogen patch and cyclical progesterone in women aged 42 to 58 who were within 3 years after the menopause at randomization.

Many beneficial effects of HRT were found with improvements in hot flushes, night sweats, mood, sexual function and bone density, with no differences in adverse events such as breast cancer, endometrial cancer, myocardial infarction, stroke or blood clot. Regarding cardiovascular effect, some measures showed slight evidence that HRT may be cardioprotective in this age group.

These results should provide reassurance for the many women who are considering taking HRT, or are already taking HRT, for control of menopausal symptoms in the early menopausal years, and for the healthcare professionals who may be unsure about prescribing HRT.

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