Progesterone for Hot Flashes Appears Safe for the Heart
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy women in early menopause who had hot flashes suggests that three-month therapy with oral micronized progesterone alone (without estradiol) poses little or no short-term cardiovascular risk.
Lead author Dr Jerilynn C Prior (Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver) recently coauthored a report based on the same study, in which progesterone therapy had significantly reduced the intensity and frequency of hot flashes and night sweats in the postmenopausal women.
In this new analysis of the trial, Prior et al showed short-term cardiovascular safety. The Framingham general cardiovascular risk profile scores, which were low to begin with due to the enrollment criteria, remained low with progesterone therapy.
Taken together, the findings suggest that healthy women in early menopause who have severe hot flashes and night sweats “have another option . . . [and] could safely take progesterone when they probably should not be taking estrogen,”
The study was published online January 21, 2014 in PLOS One.
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