Hormone replacement therapy to relieve menopausal may raise the risk a bit for serious lower intestinal bleeding, studies suggests.
In the 1990s, millions of American women turned to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help ease the symptoms of menopause. But the results of a landmark study called the Women's Health Initiative, released in 2002, found that long-term use of the therapy increased women's risk of breast cancer, as well as their risk for heart attacks and strokes. Use of the regimen fell dramatically soon after.
"HRT is an effective treatment, but it does come with risks" said lead researcher Dr. Prashant Singh of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Singh said the risk of any one woman developing gastric bleeding is very small.
The researchers said lower intestinal bleeding linked to HRT often develops due to a condition called ischemic colitis. Ischemic colitis occurs when blood clots block blood vessels in the large intestine. This cuts off the blood supply to part of the intestine. Without a proper blood supply, that portion of the intestine dies, which is when bleeding starts. The results of the study were scheduled to be presented May 18 at Digestive Disease Week in Washington, D.C. Findings presented at the meetings are generally considered preliminary until they've been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Singh's group also found that the longer a woman remained on HRT, the most likely she was to have major lower intestinal bleeding. There's a higher risk of bleeding in the lower intestine than the upper because there are fewer blood vessels in the lower intestine. That means clotting in the lower intestine has a greater effect in the blood supply, Singh said.
Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that "HRT is very effective for the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, but comes with a cost of associated risks.
"These additional new risks need to be considered when doctors are treating menopausal symptoms. As was previously recommended, postmenopausal hormone use should be the smallest dose for the shortest duration of time" said Wu.
Source: Healthy.com