Health risks persist after HT is stopped

Article

Women who stop taking estrogen plus progestin no longer have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, when compared to women who never received hormone therapy. But they may have an elevated risk of developing fatal and non-fatal malignancies, researchers report in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Women who stop taking estrogen plus progestin no longer have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, when compared to women who never received hormone therapy. But they may have an elevated risk of developing fatal and non-fatal malignancies, researchers report in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Gerardo Heiss, MD, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and colleagues compared health outcomes in 15,730 women who were included in the postintervention phase of the Women’s Health Initiative that began on July 8, 2002.

After a mean 2.4 years of follow-up, the researchers found no significant difference in the annualized rate of cardiovascular events in women who had previously received hormone therapy and women who had received placebo (1.97% vs. 1.91%, respectively). But they found that the hormone therapy group had significantly higher risks of malignancies (HR, 1.24) and breast cancers (HR, 1.27), and a somewhat higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.15). The researchers also found that overall risks outweighed the benefits of hormone therapy, with a global risk 12% higher compared to the placebo.

“Following termination of use of conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate of 3.5 to 8.5 years, clinical vigilance seems warranted with respect to a sustained higher risk of malignancies,” the authors conclude.

Heiss G, Wallace R, Anderson GL. Health risks and benefits 3 years after stopping randomized treatment with estrogen and progestin. JAMA. 2008;299:1036-1045.

Newsletter

Get the latest clinical updates, case studies, and expert commentary in obstetric and gynecologic care. Sign up now to stay informed.

Recent Videos
Ousseny Zerbo, PhD, highlights benefits of influenza vaccination during pregnancy | Image Credit: divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org.
Michael Ussher, PhD, highlights the benefits of vaping over smoking in pregnancy | Image Credit: sgul.ac.uk.
Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, highlights AMA's new breast cancer prevention guidelines | Image Credit: pcrm.org.
Zachary Wagner, PhD, discusses the harms of bias in reproductive care | Image Credit: ornsife.usc.edu.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.