New aspects of postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment with micronized estradiol and progesterone

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment with natural sex hormones. Material and methods: The single-blind study included 210 women, randomly allocated to three different groups, with various methods of treatment: Group I (70 controls) received transcutaneous placebo for the course of one year, Group II (70 females, aged 52.2 +/- 3.1 years) used oral hormone supplementary therapy (HST), and Group III (70 females, aged 51.9 +/- 3.5 years) received transcutaneous modified hormone replacement therapy (MHRT), supplemented with intravaginal lutein, dietary minerals, and 1000 IU of vitamin D-3/day. Results: No increase in bone mineral density was observed in the control group. However, mineral density of the vertebral bodies was significantly higher after 3 and 5 years in the HST group (p < 0.05), and after 1 year in the MHRT group (p < 0.01). This increase was even more significant (p < 0.001) after 3 and 5 years in the MHRT group. Conclusions: Transcutaneous hormone therapy with micronized estradiol and progesterone is the treatment of choice in postmenopausal osteoporosis, as evidenced by bone mineral density and biochemical markers.