title: Transdermal oestrogen replacement therapy in a Finnish population.
abstract: In an open, multicentre study, transdermal administration of oestradiol (E2) by means of skin patches was investigated in a Finnish patient population suffering from typical post-menopausal symptoms. A total of 249 women applied a patch twice weekly for 6 months. Whereas 85% of the subjects were experiencing hot flushes and 83.5% sweating before therapy, only 5.7% and 11.8%, respectively, reported these symptoms at the end of the trial. Furthermore, 97.6%, 95.7% and 94.8% of the subjects reported that depression, headache and sleep disturbances, respectively, had disappeared during therapy. Skin irritation occurred in 18.2% of these predominantly fair-skinned women. Frequent sauna bathing did not interfere with the patch therapy. General acceptance of the treatment was excellent, 84.8% of the patients completing the treatment, of whom 78% were willing to continue the treatment after the trial. These results show that transdermal administration of E2 is effective in relieving post-menopausal symptoms. Local tolerability was good and the majority of the patients considered the transdermal treatment to be superior to their previous oral replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erkkola
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holma
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Järvi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nummi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Punnonen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Raudaskoski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rehn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ryynänen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tunkelo
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged