STUDY: If you really need it !!!!

JOURNAL: Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, September 2003

AUTHORS: Dr. Emmanuel Oger

ABSTRACT: For women who need estrogen replacement to deal with severe symptoms of menopause, a patch may be better than taking pills.

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COMMENTARY: Oral estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is known to raise the risk of blood clots forming in veins, a.k.a. venous thrombosis. However, through-the-skin delivery of ERT doesn't have this effect, according to a study conducted in France.

Oral but not transdermal ERT significantly altered the effect of a blood compound known as activated protein C on the regulation of a clotting factor, thrombin.

Moreover, after six months, markers of blood coagulation activity were significantly higher in the oral estrogen arm than in the transdermal or placebo arms of the trial.

"Taken together, these data provide a plausible biologic mechanism to the clearly demonstrated association between oral estrogen and venous thrombosis," the team writes.

Furthermore, Oger said, the results add to a "strong body of biological evidence that suggests a lower risk for venous thrombosis, if any, among users of the (estrogen) skin patch."

Just last month, a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed that women currently taking oral ERT were four times more likely to develop venous thrombosis than were current estrogen patch users.

Once again we need to be very careful regarding HRT. Please consult a professional who is up on all the latest research.