What Forms of Therapy Are Available?
Today, you can choose an estrogen therapy treatment that helps relieve the symptoms of surgical menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness.
Forms of estrogen 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.
Most estrogen therapy patches deliver 3 1/2 days' worth of estrogen at a time and need to be replaced more than once a week. The CLIMARA® patch provides estrogen for an entire week (7 days).
Ask your healthcare provider if the CLIMARA transdermal patch may be right for you.
Tablets (Pills)
Estrogen therapy tablets are taken orally (by mouth), usually for a certain number of days each month. Because some of the estrogen is filtered out (by the liver and kidneys) as it passes through the body, the tablets need to contain more estrogen in order to be effective. Some women prefer tablets because they are a familiar form of medication.
Vaginal Creams
Estrogen 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 estrogen 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 estrogen in these inserts typically lasts for 90 days, the inserts need to be replaced every 3 months. Just like vaginal creams, vaginal inserts do not relieve hot flashes or night sweats.
Estrogen therapy has important benefits, but also some risks. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots, and increase your risk of dementia.
You must decide, with your healthcare provider, whether estrogen use is the right choice for you. Check with your healthcare provider each year to be sure you are using the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time that works for you.
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.
