Study: Ceasing Hormone Therapy May Lead To Risk Of Hip Fracture

If you are a postmenopausal woman who is on hormone therapy, do not be so quick to seek to get off the treatment. According to a new study, postmenopausal women who discontinue their hormone therapy suffer a significant drop in bone density leading to an increase in hip fractures. The apparent increase in risk occurs within two years of women ceasing hormone treatment.

Dr. Roksana Karim conducted this study with the help of researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and published the results in the industry journal, Menopause. Though previous research showed that menopausal women on hormone therapy experience less bone loss than women that did not go on hormone therapy, there were some known risks. One 2002 study indicated that hormone therapy raised the risk of heart disease and cancer in postmenopausal women.

Dr. Karim’s study observed roughly 81,000 post-menopausal women for six and a half years and found that the women who stopped hormone therapy were at a 55 percent greater risk to suffer a hip fracture. “Our results should encourage women and clinicians to take a second look at the bone health benefits of hormone therapy,” said Dr. Karim.

Important To Consider All Options

The risk of hip fracture is one that postmenopausal women deal with every day. While the known risks have caused many women and medical professionals to shy away from hormone therapy over the last decade, it is paramount that women and their doctors look at the issue from all angles. You need to educate yourself, consider your family history, and weigh the relative risks.

Many women have turned to Fosamax to protect against broken bones given the risk of bone loss as they grow older, but there are other risks associated with the drug. Much like that of hormone therapy, the decision to go on Fosamax is not one to be taken lightly.

If you have suffered a Fosamax femur fracture then you could have the basis for a successful lawsuit against Merck. The attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group has over 25 years of collective experience taking on big corporations like Merck and can help you get the compensation you deserve. For a free consultation with an RLG attorney, please fill out this brief contact form.