Starting menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) during perimenopause or early menopause was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with hot flashes or night sweats.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine followed 2,737 women aged 42 and older who had vasomotor symptoms, no prior heart disease, and no earlier hormone use, using data collected from 1996 to 2017. Of these, 755 women started hormone therapy, either estrogen alone or combined with progestogens, and were followed for close to a decade on average.
Women who started hormone therapy had a lower risk of combined heart events, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure and procedures to restore blood flow, compared with women who never started it. The benefit was strongest among those who began therapy within ten years of their final period. Black women showed a clear reduction in heart risk with hormone therapy, while white women and those of other races showed no clear effect.
Researchers noted the findings do not support using hormone therapy specifically to prevent heart disease, but said they offer useful context for women with hot flashes weighing therapy who are concerned about heart risk.