Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association
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Exp. Clin. Endocrinol. Diabetes · Oct 2005
Patterns of hormone replacement therapy in a population-based cohort of postmenopausal German women. Changes after HERS II and WHI.
In July 2002, data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial provided strong evidence for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease with use of combined estrogen plus progestogen in postmenopausal women. These unexpected results triggered a large and ongoing discussion about the role of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). We investigated the frequency of HRT before and after the publications of the WHI trial and the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study II (HERS II) in a population-based random sample of German women aged 45 - 65 years. ⋯ We observed a decreased prevalence of HRT among German women 7 months after publication of the HERS II and WHI results. The decline was, however less pronounced than reported from other countries. The use of conjugated estrogen/gestagen combinations declined disproportionately compared to other formulations.