Transdermal oestrogen replacement therapy in a Finnish population.
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.
Erkkola
R
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Holma
P
P
Järvi
T
T
Nummi
S
S
Punnonen
R
R
Raudaskoski
T
T
Rehn
K
K
Ryynänen
M
M
Sipilä
P
P
Tunkelo
E
E
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged