Impact of estetrol (E4) on hemostasis, metabolism and bone turnover in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effects of estetrol (E4) on hemostasis, lipids, carbohydrate metabolism and bone turnover in postmenopausal women. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2 trial. Participants (n = 180, age 43-64 years) received E4 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. Changes from baseline at week 12 were evaluated versus placebo for hemostasis parameters, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), lipids, carbohydrate metabolism and bone markers. RESULTS: Changes for hemostasis parameters were minimal with a small increase only in the normalized activated protein C sensitivity ratio in the E4 15 mg group versus placebo. SHBG increased in the E4 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg groups versus placebo. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in all E4 groups; changes were not consistent for other lipids. Significant decreases versus placebo were seen for insulin resistance (E4 10 mg group), hemoglobin A1c (E4 15 mg group) and type 1 collagen C-terminal telopeptide (E4 10 mg and 15 mg groups). Small decreases in osteocalcin in the E4 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg groups were significant versus the increase observed in placebo. CONCLUSION: E4 had limited impact on hemostasis and potentially beneficial effects on lipids, carbohydrate metabolism and bone turnover.

Menopausal hormone therapy for primary prevention: why the USPSTF is wrong.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Draft Recommendation statement on Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Primary Prevention for Chronic Diseases, released in May 2017, perpetuates a major disconnect between the primary population affected, women within roughly 10 years of menopause, and the data cited. Furthermore, major elements of the evidence relied upon have been misinterpreted or misstated, particularly in regard to coronary heart disease and breast cancer, for which there is no statistically significant evidence of harm. As currently drafted, the recommendations reiterate the USPSTF statements of 2012, 2005 and 2002, and will perpetuate egregious harm to the public health. In an attempt to avoid that outcome and to facilitate a return to rational discourse regarding menopausal hormone therapy, an ad hoc group of experts in menopausal health submitted this comprehensive response to the USPSTF.

Attitudes and approaches to vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a focus group qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy and women's coping strategies were evaluated through international focus groups. METHODS: Three-hour focus groups of three to five postmenopausal women who had symptoms of vaginal atrophy but had not sought treatment were conducted in Canada, Sweden, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Participants were asked about their experience with menopause and vaginal atrophy, including use of non-prescription treatments and their interactions with health-care providers. Women were classified as one of five personality types, based on their interaction with the world (individualism or belonging) and strategies for coping with stress (control or liberation). RESULTS: Vaginal atrophy was not recognized as a medical condition by focus group participants, and women had not used treatments for vaginal atrophy apart from non-prescription lubricants. Women who had discussed vaginal atrophy symptoms with their doctor felt their concerns were dismissed as a normal part of aging, and they did not receive counseling about treatment options such as low-dose estrogen therapy. Those whose coping strategy involved dominance, combatting, or individualism were more likely to seek treatment than those whose strategy involved submission, acceptance, or belonging. Women who used control to cope with menopausal changes were more likely to respond to information validated by perceived experts than were those who used a strategy of release. CONCLUSIONS: Women's reactions to their vaginal atrophy varied according to personality. Use of a personality-based approach to patient counseling may encourage patients to discuss vaginal atrophy with their health-care provider and seek treatment.

A decade post WHI, menopausal hormone therapy comes full circle--need for independent commission.

The sudden decision by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to terminate the estrogen-progestogen therapy arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study a decade ago now begs two questions:--has women's health after menopause been helped or harmed as a result of the findings and the way in which they were presented, and, if harmed, what needs to be done to put things right? Time and multiple reviews of specific publications from the WHI lead to the serious question whether a project designed to be of benefit to women's health has boomeranged, and instead may have resulted in significant impairment to both the quality of life and physical health of postmenopausal women. It is therefore urgent to confirm whether this is so and whether corrective action needs be taken to prevent even more harm. There are two obvious and immediate actions to be called for: (1) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to revisit the black-box warnings on postmenopausal hormones. Specifically, there needs to be a separation of the advisories for estrogen alone from estrogen and progestogen combined usage. (2) Justification is given to call for an independent commission to scrutinize every major WHI paper to determine whether the data justified the conclusions drawn. Women progressing through and beyond menopause in the next decade need to be spared the unnecessary harm that may have been inflicted on their sisters of the previous decade.

Effects of arzoxifene on bone mineral density and endometrium in postmenopausal women with normal or low bone mass.

INTRODUCTION: Arzoxifene, a benzothiophene estrogen agonist/antagonist, is being developed for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and for risk reduction of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. METHODS: The effects of arzoxifene 20 mg/d on bone mineral density (BMD), uterine safety, and overall safety were studied in the FOUNDATION study, a 2-yr randomized, placebo-controlled trial including 331 postmenopausal women with normal to low bone mass. RESULTS: Compared to placebo, arzoxifene significantly increased lumbar spine (+2.9%) and total hip (+2.2%) BMD. Arzoxifene decreased biochemical markers of bone metabolism compared to placebo. Changes in breast density were neutral or slightly decreased in the arzoxifene vs. placebo group. There was no evidence of endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma in the arzoxifene group as assessed by central review of baseline and follow-up endometrial biopsies. There was no significant change between the groups in endometrial thickness assessed by transvaginal ultrasound. The incidence of uterine polyps and vaginal bleeding was not significantly different between the groups. Vulvovaginal mycotic infection was the only adverse event significantly increased in the arzoxifene vs. placebo group. Hot flushes were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: In postmenopausal women with normal to low bone mass, arzoxifene 20 mg/d increased BMD at the spine and hip and had a neutral effect on the uterus and endometrium.

Relief of vasomotor symptoms and vaginal atrophy with lower doses of conjugated equine estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of lower doses of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for relieving vasomotor symptoms and vaginal atrophy. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (the Women's Health, Osteoporosis, Progestin, Estrogen study). SETTING: Study centers across the United States. PATIENT(S): Two thousand, six hundred, seventy-three healthy, postmenopausal women with an intact uterus, including an efficacy-evaluable population (n = 241 at baseline). INTERVENTION(S): Patients received for 1 year (13 cycles; in milligrams per day) CEE, 0.625; CEE, 0.625 and MPA, 2.5; CEE, 0.45; CEE, 0.45 and MPA, 2.5; CEE, 0.45 and MPA, 1.5; CEE, 0.3; CEE, 0.3 and MPA, 1.5; or placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Number and severity of hot flushes and Papanicolaou smear with vaginal maturation index (VMI) to assess vaginal atrophy. RESULT(S): In the efficacy-evaluable population, reduction in vasomotor symptoms was similar with CEE of 0.625 mg/d and MPA of 2.5 mg/d (the most commonly prescribed doses) and all lower combination doses. CEE of 0.625 mg/d alleviated hot flushes more effectively than the lower doses of CEE alone. VMI improved in all active treatment groups. CONCLUSION(S): Lower doses of CEE plus MPA relieve vasomotor symptoms and vaginal atrophy as effectively as commonly prescribed doses.

Efficacy and safety of low, standard, and high dosages of an estradiol transdermal system (Esclim) compared with placebo on vasomotor symptoms in highly symptomatic menopausal patients. The Esclim Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3 dosages of Esclim, delivering 0.025 mg, 0.050 mg, or 0.100 mg 17beta-estradiol per 24 hours, in the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter trial, 196 highly symptomatic menopausal women received 12 weeks of continuous unopposed treatment with 1 of the 3 dosages of Esclim or a matching placebo patch. RESULTS: The reduction in frequency of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms was statistically significant compared with placebo (P <.05) from week 2 onward in the Esclim 50 and 100 groups and from week 3 onward in the Esclim 25 group. Symptom severity was also reduced. Estrogen-related adverse events, particularly metrorrhagia and endometrial hyperplasia, were less frequent in the Esclim 25 group than in the higher-dosage groups. CONCLUSION: All 3 dosages of Esclim were effective in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms. The efficacy and safety of Esclim 25 indicate a good risk-benefit ratio.

The North American Menopause Society 1998 Menopause Survey. Part I: Postmenopausal women's perceptions about menopause and midlife.

OBJECTIVE: To collect information relevant to the mission of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)--i.e., increasing understanding of menopause--by assessing perceptions held by postmenopausal women in the United States aged 50 to 65 years regarding their menopause transition and early postmenopausal years. DESIGN: During the period from June to July 1998, The Gallup Organization conducted 752 telephone interviews with a randomly selected sample of postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years from across the United States, based on questions developed by NAMS. In Part I of this survey, women were asked about their personal experiences with menopause, their health-related lifestyle changes since premenopause, their frequency of discussing menopause, and their rating of preparedness for menopause. Part II of this survey, including use of hormone replacement therapy as well as use of healthcare services, will be reported in a future communication from NAMS. RESULTS: The majority (51%) of the postmenopausal women surveyed reported being happiest and most fulfilled between the ages of 50 to 65 years, compared with when they were in their 20s (10%), 30s (17%), or 40s (16%). Many areas of their lives had improved since menopause, including family/home life, sense of personal fulfillment, ability to focus on hobbies or other interests, relationship with spouse/partner, and friendships. A majority (51%) said their sexual relationships had remained unchanged. Approximately three-quarters of women surveyed reported making some type of health-related lifestyle change, such as stopping smoking, at menopause/midlife. Women who had undergone hysterectomy expressed more improvement than women with an intact uterus, especially in the areas of sexual relationships, spouse/partner relationships, personal fulfillment, and physical health; data are not available regarding the health state of these women before surgery or whether they experienced surgical menopause, but this improvement did not appear to be the result of hormone replacement therapy. Women tended to look to women from their own generation for menopause-related information and believed that they have prepared the younger generation for menopause better than they were prepared by their mothers' generation. Those surveyed advised younger women to engage in healthful activities and become knowledgeable so that they could make informed health decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Although the postmenopausal women surveyed had differing views of menopause as well as their perceptions of postmenopause compared with premenopause, the majority viewed menopause and midlife as the beginning of many positive changes in their lives and health. Hysterectomy was a factor associated with improved sexual relationships, spouse/partner relationships, sense of personal fulfillment, and physical health.

Beneficial effects of estrogen on cardiac stunning in female rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of estrogen treatment on the contractile, relaxation, and chronotropic responses of hearts of female rabbits to cessation of perfusion. METHODS: Adult female rabbits were treated either with estradiol or with the vehicle (control). The hearts were then isolated and perfused at constant pressure by the Langendorff technique. A saline-filled balloon connected to a pressure transducer was inserted in the left ventricle in order to assess the mechanical function of the isolated heart. Cardiac stunning was induced by halting the perfusion of the coronary vasculature for four successive periods of 1, 3, 5, and 5 minutes, followed by reperfusion between nonperfusion periods. Changes in cardiac function induced by the cessation of perfusion were assessed by monitoring the changes in heart rate and in left ventricular pressure ([dP/dt]max as an index of ventricular contractility and [dP/dt]min as an index of ventricular relaxation). Changes in coronary flow were determined at baseline and following reperfusion. RESULTS: Halting coronary perfusion decreased (dP/dt)max, and (dP/dt)min and slowed left ventricular contractions both in control and in estrogen-treated hearts. The depressant effects of flow cessation on left ventricular (dP/dt)max and (dP/dt)min were smaller in estrogen-treated hearts than in control hearts. Treatment with estrogen had no effect on the changes on the heart rate in responses to cessation of flow and to reperfusion. Treatment with estrogen increased coronary flow by 40%. Coronary reperfusion increased coronary flow transiently, but the effects did not differ significantly between control and estrogen-treated hearts. CONCLUSION: Short-term treatment of adult female rabbits with doses of estrogen that are physiologic for the rabbit exerts a protective effect on cardiac contractility from repetitive periods without perfusion.

Estrogen modulates paracellular permeability of human endothelial cells by eNOS- and iNOS-related mechanisms.

Estradiol had a biphasic effect on permeability across cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC): at nanomolar concentrations it decreased the HUVEC culture permeability, but at micromolar concentrations it increased the permeability. The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the changes in permeability were mediated by nitric oxide (NO)-related mechanisms. The results revealed dual modulation of endothelial paracellular permeability by estrogen. 1) An endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-, NO-, and cGMP-related, Ca2+-dependent decrease in permeability was activated by nanomolar concentrations of estradiol, resulting in enhanced Cl- influx, increased cell size, and increases in the resistance of the lateral intercellular space (RLIS) and in the resistance of the tight junctions (RTJ); these effects appeared to be limited by the ability of cells to generate cGMP in response to NO. 2) An inducible NO synthase (iNOS)- and NO-related, Ca2+-independent increase in permeability was activated by micromolar concentrations of estradiol, resulting in enhanced Cl- efflux, decreased cell size, and decreased RLIS and RTJ. We conclude that the net effect on transendothelial permeability across HUVEC depends on the relative contributions of each of these two systems to the total paracellular resistance.

Effects of estrogen on tight junctional resistance in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of estrogen on transendothelial paracellular permeability in women. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) obtained from women were grown on filters. The paracellular permeability characteristics were determined in terms of changes in the permeability to the polar acid pyranine (Ppyr) and as changes in the transendothelial electrical resistance (RTE). Tight junctional resistance characteristics were assayed by lowering luminal NaCl and measuring the dilution potential, and were expressed as the ratio of monoion mobility uCl/uNa (cation selectivity). RESULTS: Low extracellular calcium and hyperosmolarity increased Ppyr and decreased RTE. The former but not the latter condition abolished the endothelium-specific cation selectivity. Treatment with 10 nM of estradiol-17 beta had no effect on RTE, but it increased the cation selectivity. The effect of estradiol required 1-6 hours' incubation with the hormone; it was dose dependent and saturable, with a median effective concentration of estradiol of 1 nM. Diethylstilbestrol, but not estriol, could mimic the effect of estradiol, and the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI-182, 780 blocked it. CONCLUSION: Cultured HUVEC cells form patent tight junctions. Estrogens increase the cation selectivity across HUVEC cultures. The effect of estrogen may be mediated by an estrogen receptor. These effects may be important for vasculoprotection in cases of sudden changes in ions levels across the capillary wall, such as ischemia or reperfusion.

The North American Menopause Society develops consensus opinions.

Considerable consultation with experts in the field has led to the conclusions reached in the article entitled "NAMS Consensus Opinion." Both published literature and clinical experience were evaluated by a panel of distinguished experts who convened to prepare their recommendations for the NAMS Board of Trustees. The article may not express the only valid approach to the topic, but readers can be assured that, like all official NAMS materials, it has been drafted and reviewed with the full benefit of the Society's considerable expertise. The Society is grateful to the panelists, and to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, whose unrestricted educational grant helped to defray costs associated with the conference. We also wish to clarify that although the term "NAMS consensus" is used, one should not assume that every single member of the Society agrees with the published findings. Such a constraint would necessarily prevent any organization from publishing its opinions. The Society hopes that the advice offered will be of assistance to the many different specialists charged with providing health care for the 4,000 women (in the U.S. alone) who are reaching menopause every day. We encourage your comments. You, our readers, will determine the way that future Society opinions will be presented.

Modulation of coronary vascular resistance in female rabbits by estrogen and progesterone.

OBJECTIVE: To study the roles of estradiol and various progestins on the regulation of coronary flow in female rabbits. METHODS: Ovariectomized adult female rabbits were treated with estradiol, with progesterone (or one of the following synthetic progestins: megace, norethindrone, or medroxyprogesterone acetate), or with both an estradiol and a progestin. Hearts were isolated and perfused at constant pressure by a modified Langendorff technique. Changes in coronary flow were determined at baseline and in response to direct infusion into the coronary circulation of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase. RESULTS: Coronary flow rates were 40-50% greater in hearts of animals treated with estradiol than in control hearts of animals not treated with the hormone. Treatment of the animals with progestin alone had little effect on coronary flow. However, when administered with estradiol, it abrogated the estradiol-related increase in coronary flow. The increments in coronary flow evoked by estradiol were virtually abolished by L-NNA, an inhibitor of NO synthase. In hearts of animals treated with estradiol plus progesterone, L-NNA had no additional inhibitory effect on coronary flow to that of progesterone. CONCLUSION: Estradiol decreases coronary vascular resistance (CVR) and hence increases coronary flow. Progestins attenuate this effect of estradiol.

Women and menopause: beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The North American Menopause Society 1997 Menopause Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose in organizing this survey was to collect information relevant to The North American Menopause Society's (NAMS) educational mission and to document women's knowledge of, and attitudes toward, menopause. DESIGN: During June-July 1997, The Gallup Organization conducted 750 telephone interviews with a randomly selected sample of women 45-60 years of age from across the United States. Women were asked about their sources of information on menopause, what changes in health they anticipated as a result of menopause, why they used hormone therapy, and their attitudes toward menopause as a natural or a medical event. RESULTS: Women are more likely to believe that depression and irritability are associated with menopause than heart disease, but only a few associate menopause with an increasing vulnerability to either memory loss or Alzheimer's disease. Relief of physical symptoms of menopause was mentioned as the reason for starting hormone therapy more often than to protect against osteoporosis (25% relative to 15%), or to prevent stroke or a heart attack (10%), or to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (2%). The single main source of women's information on menopause was a health professional (49%). The majority of women who were already menopausal or experiencing menstrual changes expressed an attitude toward menopause that was either neutral (42%) or positive (36%). CONCLUSIONS: Women are divided in their views of menopause, some seeing it as a medical condition requiring medical treatment, whereas others see it as a natural transition to be managed by "natural" means. Providing women with accurate, up-to-date information and enhancing communication between healthcare providers and menopausal women remain the challenges for NAMS.

Retinoids regulate tight junctional resistance of cultured human cervical cells.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of retinoids on paracellular resistance across the cervical epithelium and the mechanisms involved. The experimental model was cultures of human CaSki cells on filters, which retain phenotypic characteristics of the endocervical epithelium. End points for paracellular resistance were measurements of transepithelial electrical resistance and fluxes of pyranine (a trisulfonic acid that traverses the epithelium via the intercellular space). Paracellular resistance was significantly increased in cells grown in retinoid-free medium; the effect could be blocked and reversed with all-trans-retinoic acid (tRA) and with agonists of RAR and RXR receptors but only partially with retinol. The effect of tRA was dose dependent and saturable, with a 50% effective concentration of 0.8 nM. The increases in paracellular resistance induced by vitamin A deficiency required longer incubation in retinoid-free medium than decreases in resistance induced by retinoic acid. tRA had only a minimal effect on paracellular resistance in cells maintained in regular medium. Retinoid-free medium increased and tRA decreased the relative cation mobility across CaSki cultures. Also the effects of tRA were nonadditive to those of cytochalasin D (which decreases tight junctional resistance) and additive to those of ionomycin (which decreases the resistance of the lateral intercellular space), suggesting that tRA modulates tight junctional resistance. It is concluded that vitamin A determines the degree of paracellular resistance across cervical cells by a mechanism that involves modulation of tight junctional resistance.