The Growing Popularity of Nonhormonal Menopause Therapy

Increasing interest in non-hormonal menopause therapies are top of mind for menopausal women across the globe, according to the results of an international study led by the Menopause Priority Setting Partnership (MAPS), an initiative led by the University of Chicago Medicine.

Survey participants from 42 countries were asked about their top three menopause concerns. An international committee of physicians, researchers and menopause advocates determined the top 10 issues using the MAPS survey data at the 19th World Congress on Menopause in Australia. The list was published in a Lancet journal letter.

Hormonal therapy using estrogen and progestin to address menopause symptoms was popular in the 1990s until research published in 2002 linked it to a slightly increased risk of stroke, heart attack and breast cancer. These early findings have been questioned since then, with some experts saying that the results were misinterpreted.

“I think that there's really a push that people want to be “healthier,”” Christmas said during an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive. “They want to do things that don't necessarily require them to take a medication, even if it's one that we say is safe. Even if it's one that may help alleviate some of their symptoms, it's still a drug.”