Transdermal Estradiol With Oral Progestin: Biological and Clinical Effects in Younger and Older Postmenopausal Women

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the biochemical and clinical effects of transdermal estrogen replacement therapy (tERT) in younger and older postmenopausal women. We treated 15 younger (≤ 60 y) and 13 older (2= 60 y) healthy postmenopausal women (45-72 y) with four successive 8-week regimens of tERT at doses ofo to 150 \μg/day, combined with cyclic oral medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). In both age groups, there were similar (p = .0001) dose-responsive increases in plasma estrogen levels and decreases in LH and FSH levels, although LH values were lower in older women both before and after tERT (p ≤ .02). The addition of MPA further suppressed LH and, to a lesser extent, FSH in both younger and older women. The ratio of estrogenized to nonestrogenized vaginal cells increased with tERT (p <.007) in both age groups, but significant symptomatic improvement of vaginal irritation was noted only at the highest tERT dose. Adverse effects unrelated to age included short-term nausea in 4/28 women, and skin irritation at the patch sites in 20/28 women. Vaginal bleeding was of shorter duration, but breast tenderness was more common in older women. Further studies of long-term tERT effects in elderly women are indicated.

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