Stroke risks fade when women stop taking estrogen, study finds

By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Many menopausal women take estrogen pills; many also fear its effects.

EnlargeCloseBy H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Many menopausal women take estrogen pills; many also fear its effects.

The latest study bolsters previous evidence that concerns about breast cancer and heart attacks are largely unfounded for those who take the hormone for a short period of time to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.

Estrogen-only pills are recommended just for women who have had a hysterectomy, and the study focused only on that group. About 25% of women in menopause have had hysterectomies. Other women are prescribed a combination pill of estrogen and progestin because for them, estrogen alone can raise the risk for cancer of the uterus.

The study results don't really change the advice doctors have been giving for several years now: Take hormones to relieve menopause symptoms in the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time.

The women in the study took estrogen for about six years and were evaluated for about four years after stopping. Slightly increased risks for strokes and blood clots that were found while they took the pills disappeared during the follow-up. Unfortunately, the bone-strengthening benefit of estrogen disappeared, too. Once women ended it, they had just as many hip fractures during the follow-up as women who'd taken dummy pills.

The research also found that women who started taking estrogen-only pills in their 50s fared better after stopping than women who'd started in their 70s

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