ACOG Guidance on Menopausal Symptoms
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 141: management of menopausal symptoms. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;123(1):202-216.
Despite findings from new studies, optimal management of menopausal symptoms remains controversial. In January 2014, ACOG issued guidance regarding conventional systemic and vaginal HT, recently approved treatments, and compounded HT.
For the management of vasomotor symptoms, ACOG indicated that systemic HT (including oral and transdermal routes), alone or combined with a progestin, is the most effective treatment for bothersome menopausal vasomotor symptoms. The ACOG Practice Bulletin also pointed out that systemic EPT increases the risk for VTE and breast cancer and that, compared with oral estrogen, transdermal estrogen may carry a lower risk for VTE.
Some insurers deny coverage of HT for women older than 65
A classification of medications from the American Geriatrics Society known as “the Beers List” [the Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults] includes oral and transdermal estrogen, with or without a progestin.1 Along with many of the clinicians reading this update, I routinely receive notices from insurance companies that, based on the Beers List, they will no longer provide reimbursement for systemic HT in patients who are older than 65. In this regard, I believe that one of the most important components of ACOG’s Practice Bulletin is the following text:
“The decision to continue HT should be individualized and be based on a woman’s symptoms and the risk-benefit ratio, regardless of age. Because some women aged 65 years and older may continue to need systemic HT for the management of vasomotor symptoms, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends against routine discontinuation of systemic estrogen at age 65 years. As with younger women, use of HT and estrogen therapy should be individualized, based on each woman’s risk-benefit ratio and clinical presentation.”
Three new options for menopausal HT
The ACOG Practice Bulletin describes three formulations for the treatment of menopausal symptoms that have recently become available:
• In women with a uterus and with bothersome vasomotor symptoms, an alternative to EPT is oral tablets combining conjugated equine estrogen (0.45 mg) with the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) bazedoxifene (20 mg).
• The oral SERM ospemifene (60 mg) is effective for relief of dyspareunia associated with vulvovaginal atrophy (also known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause).
• Paroxetine mesylate (7.5 mg) is the only FDA-approved nonhormonal formulation for management of vasomotor symptoms and is dosed lower than regimens used to treat psychiatric conditions.
Steer patients clear of compounded formulations
Every week, I encounter patients who have recently visited clinicians who prescribe and sell compounded bioidentical hormones. In addressing this issue, ACOG provides a useful service to women and their clinicians:
“Because of a lack of FDA oversight, most compounded preparations have not undergone any rigorous clinical testing for either safety or efficacy, so the purity, potency, and quality of compounded preparations are a concern. In addition, both underdosage and overdosage are possible because of variable bioavailability and bioactivity. Evidence is lacking to support superiority claims of compounded bioidentical hormones over conventional menopausal HT…. Conventional HT is preferred, given the available data.”
REFERENCE
1. Geriatrics Care Online: Beers Pocket Card. www.americangeriatrics.org/files/documents/beers/PrintableBeersPocketCard.pdf. Accessed July 21, 2015.
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