The endometrial and breast safety of menopausal hormone therapy containing micronised progesterone: A short review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic methodology or original data synthesis
PubMed 28251642 · doi:10.1111/ajo.12583
What was done
This short narrative review summarizes clinical trial and observational evidence regarding the safety of menopausal hormone therapy containing micronised progesterone, focusing on endometrial protection, breast cancer risk, and cardiovascular effects.
What was found
The abstract states that micronised progesterone effectively protects the endometrium from oestrogen stimulation at regimens of 100 mg oral daily, 200 mg oral sequentially, or 100 mg vaginal every second day. It notes that menopausal hormone therapy with micronised progesterone carries a significantly lower breast cancer risk than therapy with synthetic progestins and does not appear to attenuate the cardiovascular benefits of oestrogen. No specific numbers, effect estimates, or statistical data are reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
It outlines specific micronised progesterone dosing options for endometrial protection and highlights potential safety advantages over synthetic progestins regarding breast cancer risk.
Limits
This is an unsystematic narrative review with no quantitative data, sample sizes, or study counts provided in the abstract, precluding formal quality appraisal or meta-analytic verification.
Cited by
- supports At least 100 to 200 mg of oral progesterone is required to adequately oppose estrogen at the endometrial level during hormone replacement therapy.