Hormone therapy (HT) Hormone therapy has been shown to reduce bone loss, increase bone density in both the spine and hip, and reduce the risk of hip and spine fractures in post-menopausal women. HT is approved for the prevention of post-menopausal osteoporosis and is most commonly administered in the form of a pill or skin patch. When estrogen is taken alone, it can increase a woman's risk of developing cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer). To eliminate this risk, physicians prescribe the hormone progestin in combination with estrogen (both estrogen alone and the combination fall under the umbrella of hormone therapy, or HT) for those women who have not had a hysterectomy. Side effects of HT include vaginal bleeding, breast tenderness, mood disturbances, venous blood clots, and gallbladder disease. Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What you need to know about arthritis pain medication Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See the top online resources for information about bones, joints &, muscles More about osteoporosis Osteoporosis Clinical Trials-Related Information Email this page Print this section

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a large government-funded research study, recently demonstrated that HT with Prempro, a combination of supplemental estrogen and progesterone, is associated with a modest increase in the risk of stroke and heart attack. After five years, it is also associated with a small increased risk of breast cancer. The WHI also demonstrated that estrogen alone is associated with an increase in the risk of stroke. Another large study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicated that long-term use of estrogen therapy may be associated with an increase in the risk of ovarian cancer. It is not yet clear whether HT carries a similar risk. Any estrogen therapy should be prescribed for the shortest period of time possible. When used solely for the prevention of post-menopausal osteoporosis, any hormone regimen should only be considered for women at significant risk of osteoporosis, and nonestrogen medications should be carefully considered.