Hormone Replacement Therapy

Stop Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and you may end up having Osteoporosis!

The Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Intervention study involving more than 800 women at seven medical centers was conducted on a long-term basis. This study was carried out initially for three years. A follow up study for another five years was subsequently conducted. During this period, the women underwent bone scans to detect any changes in their bone density. They were also questioned about any fractures that may have occurred.

The study revealed that although the bone mass in these women increased substantially in the first three years after starting HRT, there was little gain in bone mass after that. Women who were on HRT for five more years had a bone mass level that remained stable. However, women who stopped HRT started to lose bone mass but at a rate similar to women who never took HRT.

The study therefore reiterated that a woman naturally loses bone mass as she ages. This was shown clearly from the group of women who were not on HRT. A decline in bone density can lead to an increase risk in fractures and osteoporosis.

Will a woman lose more bone mass when she stops using HRT? To answer this question, the study had stated that although HRT could help a woman increase her bone mass for the first few years, when she stops taking HRT, the bone mass did not decline any faster than the natural aging process.

In fact, researchers said that when a woman stops using HRT, it might take a few years for her to reach the level of bone mass she had before she went on HRT.

This study therefore concluded that HRT could have some benefits in increasing bone density and reducing fractures.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2002;162:665-672