title: Progestogens: therapeutic and adverse effects in early post-menopausal women.
abstract: Progestogen treatment is associated with a number of subjective symptoms. In the present study, 148 healthy post-menopausal women suffering from mild climacteric symptoms were randomly allocated to 12 weeks of treatment with (a) 2 mg oestradiol valerate combined with cyproterone acetate, medroxyprogesterone acetate or levonorgestrel; (b) 1.5 mg 17 beta-oestradiol combined with desogestrel; or (c) placebo. Climacteric symptoms, Kupperman index scores and potential adverse progestogen effects were recorded before treatment and three times per month during therapy. All the hormone regimens had a rapid effect, reducing the severity of climacteric symptoms to about 30% of the baseline values (P less than 0.001) within one month. Hot flushes were reduced in severity and/or frequency by 76 100% within 3 months (P less than 0.001). The regimens which included hydroxyprogesterone derivatives produced a transient increase in breast tenderness. Other recorded potential adverse progestogen effects showed no significant changes during the study. We concluded that the addition of progestogens (whether 19-nortestosterone or hydroxyprogesterone derivatives) does not produce significant side effects during combined hormone replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Marslew
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Riis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christiansen
mesh_terms: D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002979:Climacteric / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003534:Cyproterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017373:Cyproterone Acetate; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009644:Norgestrel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D009644:Norgestrel; D017373:Cyproterone Acetate; D004958:Estradiol; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D003534:Cyproterone; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone