Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease

“Women who initiate hormone therapy aged older than
60 years or more than 10 or 20 years from menopause
onset are at higher absolute risks of CHD, VTE, and…”.1

Umbrella
What may the Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Coronary Heart Disease
  • Heart Disease
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  • Hormone Therapy (HT)
  • Ischemic Heart Disease
  • Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)

Cardiovascular Diseases

What are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)?

DotS the definition of CVDs may vary. The World Health Organization’s definition is:

“CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease and other conditions”.2

Type

Hormone Therapy and Heart DiseaseHormone Therapy and heart Disease What can it be important to be clear about with hormone therapy (HT) and heart disease risk information?

It can be important to be clear about the type of HT and whether heart disease risk information is about – Estrogen Plus Progestogen HT or Estrogen-Alone HT.

Younger Than Age 60 or Not

What can it also be important to be clear about with HT and heart disease risk information?

It can also be important to be clear about whether HT and heart disease risk information is about women “younger than age 60 years or within 10 years of menopause” or not.

Younger Than Age 60

For women younger than age 60 or within 10 years of menopause, what is the association between HT and heart disease risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks, published July 2022, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) explain:

“Some studies suggest that HT might be good for your heart if you start before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause”.3

On page two in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

  • “Evidence from Cochrane database analysis suggests that HRT started before the age of 60 or within 10 years of the menopause may result in reduction in atherosclerosis progression, coronary heart disease and may lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality”.4

After Age 60

For women after age 60 or further than 10 years from menopause, what is the association between HT and heart disease risk?

On page one in Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks the NAMS also note:

“However, if you start HT further from menopause or after age 60, HT might slightly increase your risk of heart disease. Although there are risks associated with taking HT, they are not common, and most go away after you stop treatment”.5

On page 780 in The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society: Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality – Key Points published July 2022 and “endorsed by more than 20 well-respected international organizations”, one of the key points is:

“Women who initiate hormone therapy aged older than 60 years or more than 10 or 20 years from menopause onset are at higher absolute risks of CHD, VTE, and stroke than women initiating hormone therapy in early menopause. (Level I)”.6

What is Level I?

In this context “Level I: Based on good and consistent scientific evidence”.

What is CHD?

CHD can be an abbreviation for Coronary Heart Disease.

What is VTE?

VTE can be an abbreviation for Venous Thromboembolism.

Health Care Provider

If I choose to use HT what are my risks of heart disease?

Different women who choose to use HT can have different risks of heart disease. It may therefore be in your best interest to also choose to talk to your health care provider about this. In Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You? The Bottom Line: Hormone Therapy Isn’t All Good or All Bad the (United States) Mayo Clinic explain:

“To determine if hormone therapy is a good treatment option for you, talk to your doctor about your individual symptoms and health risks. Be sure to keep the conversation going throughout your menopausal years.

As researchers learn more about hormone therapy and other menopausal treatments, recommendations may change. If you continue to have bothersome menopausal symptoms, review treatment options with your doctor on a regular basis”.7

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics related to Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Hormone Therapy and Heart Disease?

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Links

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New or Updated

  1. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Effects of Menopausal Hormone Therapy on Cardiovascular Diseases
  2. BMS & WHC’s 2020 Recommendations on Hormone Replacement Therapy In Menopausal Women
  3. Bioidentical Hormones Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  4. Bioidentical Hormones: Are They Safer?
  5. Cardiovascular Diseases
  6. Combined Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT)
  7. Complementary Medicine Options for Menopausal Symptoms
  8. Complementary and Alternative Therapies Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  9. Consumer Health: Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Heart Health
  10. Coronary Heart Disease [+ Know the Difference]
  11. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  12. Deciding About Hormone Therapy
  13. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use
  14. Deep Vein Thrombosis
  15. Different Heart Diseases
  16. Dr Gail Busby – I Forgot To Ask the Doctor – Episode 9 The Menopause
  17. Estrogen & Hormones
  18. Estrogen & Hormones: Estrogen and the Cardiovascular System
  19. Estrogen & Hormones: Postmenopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy
  20. Family History
  21. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  22. Find An AMS Doctor [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  23. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  24. Goredforwomen.org [Go Red for Women, United States]
  25. HRT – Types, Doses and Regimens
  26. HRT: Benefits and Risks – What You Should Know
  27. Heart Disease and Stroke In Women
  28. Heart Disease: It’s Not Just for Men
  29. Heart Health: What Women Need To Know
  30. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
  31. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  32. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Alternatives
  33. Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe, Despite Rare Blood Clot Risks From Tablets
  34. Hormone Therapy In Postmenopausal Persons: Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions
  35. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You?
  36. Hot Flashes
  37. Hot Flashes
  38. Hot Flashes: What Can I Do? [+ Video: What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Menopause?]
  39. How To Find Relief for Hot Flashes At Night
  40. How Does Hormone Therapy Affect Heart Health In Transgender People?
  41. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause
  42. Know Your Numbers They Could Just Save Your Life
  43. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) [+ Video: Is HRT Bad for You?]
  44. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Treating Menopause Symptoms [+ Video: Does the Menopause Happen Suddenly?]
  45. Life’s Essential 8
  46. Listen To Your Heart: Women and Heart Disease
  47. MHT Still Maligned & Misunderstood: Expert
  48. Making Sense of Menopausal Hormone Therapy Means Understanding the Benefits As Well As the Risks
  49. Managing Menopausal Symptoms—Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Not the Only Option!
  50. Mayo Clinic Minute: Help With Hot Flashes Due To Menopause [+ Video]
  51. Mayo Clinic Minute: How Lifestyle Changes May Help Manage Menopause Symptoms [+ Video]
  52. Mayo Clinic Minute: What Is Heart Disease? [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  53. Mayo Clinic Minute: Signs of Coronary Artery Disease, How To Reduce Your Risk [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  54. Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  55. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
  56. Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Venous Thromboembolism
  57. Menopausal Hormone Therapy, Heart Disease and Stroke
  58. Menopause
  59. Menopause
  60. Menopause Explained – A British Menopause Society Video
  61. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 2. Talking To Your GP About Menopause
  62. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 3. The Risks & Benefits of HRT
  63. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 4. The Different Types of HRT
  64. Menopause Patient Information [Videos] 5. Lifestyle Advice In Menopause & Perimenopause
  65. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Common Conditions Associated With Menopause and Midlife
  66. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Lifestyle Tips for Menopause
  67. Menopause Preparedness Toolkit Video Series: Treating Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause
  68. Menopause Symptoms: Mayo Clinic Expert Outlines Hormone and Nonhormonal Therapies
  69. Menopause Treatments: What Works, What Doesn’t
  70. Menopause and Heart Disease
  71. Menopause and Heart Disease
  72. Menopause and Heart Disease: Does HRT Affect Your Risk of Heart and Circulatory Disease?
  73. Menopause and Your Heart
  74. Menopause: Diagnosis and Management – Information for the Public: Questions To Ask About Menopause [NICE Guideline]
  75. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Cardiovascular Disease
  76. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease: What You Need To Know
  77. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Herbs At A Glance
  78. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: How Safe Is This Product or Practice?
  79. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Know the Science: How Medications and Supplements Can Interact
  80. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Menopausal Symptoms In Depth
  81. Natural Remedies To Help Manage Perimenopause Symptoms
  82. Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP 245
  83. Oestrogen Only Menopausal Hormone Therapy
  84. Prof. P. Schnatz – Heart Disease, Risk Factors of Developing Heart Disease, and Can I Take Hormones?
  85. Protect Your Heart
  86. Report on Latest Menopause Science Looks At Heart Risks
  87. Rethinking Menopausal Hormone Therapy: For Whom, What, When, and How Long?
  88. Risk Factors: Cardiovascular Risk Factors
  89. Tips To Help Manage Menopause Symptoms
  90. Top Health Checks for Women
  91. Types of Hormone Therapy
  92. Using Natural Therapies In the Menopause Transition – Webinar
  93. Video Series-2021: What You Need to Know About the #1 Cause of Death in Women
  94. Video Series-2022: Hormone Therapy: Understanding the Risks and Benefits
  95. Video Series-2023
  96. Webinars: Previous – The Early Menopausal Patient
  97. Webinars: Previous – The Heart of the Matter
  98. What Are the Benefits and Risks of HRT?
  99. What Is Cardiovascular Disease?
  100. Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This? Episode 3: Dr Annice Mukherjee: Your Essential Menopause Toolkit

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society: Cardiovascular Disease and All Cause Mortality – Key Points. 2022: 780 North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/nams-2022-hormone-therapy-position-statement.pdf Accessed: 26 March 2023
  2. Cardiovascular Diseases. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1 Accessed: 26 March 2023
  3. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 26 March 2023
  4. Hamoda, H., Mukherjee, A., Morris, E., Baldeweg, S. E., Jayesena, C. N., Briggs, P., Moger, S. Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause. First Published 10 June 2022:3-4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20533691221104879 Accessed: 26 March 2023
  5. Deciding About Hormone Therapy Use: Potential Risks. 2022:1. North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/menonote-deciding-about-ht-2022.pdf Accessed: 26 March 2023
  6. The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society: Cardiovascular Disease and All Cause Mortality – Key Points. 2022: 780 North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/docs/default-source/professional/nams-2022-hormone-therapy-position-statement.pdf Accessed: 26 March 2023
  7. Hormone Therapy: Is It Right for You? The Bottom Line: Hormone Therapy Isn’t All Good or All Bad. 06 December 2022. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/in-depth/hormone-therapy/art-20046372 Accessed: 26 March 2023
Topic Last Updated: 26 March 2023 – Topic Last Reviewed: 26 March 2023

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