Hormone Therapy: What Forms Are Available?
Today, you can choose a hormone therapy treatment that helps relieve the symptoms of natural menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Some hormone therapy can also help prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Forms of postmenopausal hormone therapy currently available include
- Transdermals (patches)
- Tablets (pills)
- Vaginal Creams
- Vaginal Inserts
Transdermals
With transdermal (literally through the skin) hormone therapy, low doses of estrogen and progestin are absorbed efficiently from a patch placed on the skin. The hormone therapy is delivered directly into the bloodstream without first going through the liver. With transdermal therapy, the total dose of estrogen is lower than a pill and you don't have to remember to take a daily pill.
The CLIMARA PRO patch provides estrogen and progestin for an entire week (7 days). Ask your healthcare professional if the CLIMARA PRO patch may be right for you.
Tablets (Pills)
Hormone therapy tablets are taken by mouth, usually for a certain number of days each month. Because some of the estrogen and progestin is filtered out by the liver and kidneys as the hormones pass through the body, the tablets need to contain more estrogen and progestin than transdermals. However, some women prefer tablets because they are a familiar form of medication.
Vaginal Creams
Hormone therapy creams contain small amounts of estrogen and are applied directly to the vagina to help relieve vaginal soreness, dryness and itching. Unlike other forms of hormone therapy, vaginal creams do not relieve hot flashes or night sweats.
Vaginal Inserts
Vaginal inserts are small rings that are inserted into the vagina and left in place to release estrogen. Since the hormones in these inserts typically last for 90 days, the inserts need to be replaced every 3 months. Like vaginal creams, vaginal inserts do not relieve hot flashes or night sweats.
Hormone therapy has important benefits, but also some risks. You must decide, with your healthcare professional, whether hormone use is the right choice for you. Check with your healthcare professional to be sure you are using the lowest possible dose that works for you, and that you aren't using it longer than necessary. The length of time you need to use hormone therapy will depend on why you're using it.
Important Safety Information
What is CLIMARA used for?
CLIMARA is used after menopause to:
- Reduce moderate to severe hot flashes
- Treat moderate to severe dryness, itching, and burning in or around the vagina
- Treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogen naturally
- Help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones)
When prescribing solely for vaginal dryness or osteoporosis, other treatments should be considered.
What is the most important information I should know about CLIMARA (an estrogen hormone)?
- Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus.
Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb). Your healthcare provider should check any unusual vaginal bleeding to find out the cause.
- Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, or dementia.
Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attack, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia.
You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with CLIMARA.
What is CLIMARA PRO used for?
CLIMARA PRO is used after menopause to:
- Reduce moderate to severe hot flashes.
- Help prevent osteoporosis (thin weak bones).
When prescribing solely for osteoporosis, other treatments should be considered.
What is the most important information I should know about CLIMARA PRO (combination of estrogen and progestin hormones)?
- Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes.
Using estrogens and progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots.
- Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent dementia
Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia.
You and your healthcare provider should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with CLIMARA PRO.
Who should not use CLIMARA and CLIMARA PRO? Do not use CLIMARA PRO if you have had your uterus removed (hysterectomy).
Do not start using CLIMARA if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, currently have or have had certain cancers, had a stroke or heart attack in the past year, currently have or have had blood clots, currently have or have had liver problems, are allergic to CLIMARA or CLIMARA PRO or any of its ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.
What are the warnings of less common but serious side effects of CLIMARA or CLIMARA PRO?
Warnings of less common but serious side effects of CLIMARA or CLIMARA PRO include breast lumps, unusual vaginal bleeding, dizziness and faintness, changes in speech, severe headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, pains in your legs, changes in vision, and vomiting. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of these warning signs, or any other unusual symptom that concerns you.
What are common side effects of CLIMARA or CLIMARA PRO?
Common side effects of CLIMARA include headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea and vomiting, and hair loss.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
For important risk and use information, please see the full prescribing information.
