Women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) often face tough choices when it comes to managing menopause symptoms.
One common treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which helps reduce issues like hot flashes and night sweats.
But a new study has found that not all HRT treatments are equally safe for women with T2D. The research shows that skin patches may be a better option than pills when it comes to heart and blood clot risks.
This large study used real-world data from Europe and the U.S., analyzing health records from more than 36,000 women aged around 59. It focused on women with T2D who either took HRT with a statin drug or just a statin alone.
These women were followed for five years to track outcomes like blood clots, heart disease, stroke, and hormone-related cancers.
The researchers compared women using HRT skin patches (called transdermal HRT) with those taking HRT pills (oral HRT). They found that women taking the pill form had twice the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism (a dangerous blood clot in the lungs) and were 21% more likely to develop heart disease than those using patches.
Meanwhile, skin patches did not appear to raise the risk of stroke or cancer when compared with women who didn’t use HRT at all.
This finding is important because earlier studies had linked all types of HRT to higher risks of heart problems and cancer. But this new study suggests that how the hormone is given—either by mouth or through the skin—makes a big difference.
When taken as a pill, the estrogen has to pass through the liver, where it may affect the balance of clotting factors in the blood. This might lead to more clots or heart problems. On the other hand, skin patches deliver lower doses of estrogen straight into the bloodstream, which could avoid these issues.
The researchers also looked at how women with T2D using patches compared to those not using any HRT. Women using patches had a 25% lower risk of heart disease, and no increase in blood clots, stroke, or cancer was found.
Even though this is encouraging, the researchers caution that the study has some limits. Since it looked at past data rather than following women from the start, it’s possible that unknown factors influenced the results.
Also, most of the women in the study were white, so the findings might not apply to everyone. And electronic health records can sometimes be incomplete or inconsistent.
Still, the findings offer hope. As Dr. Matthew Anson, one of the study authors, explained, many women with T2D struggle with the decision to use HRT. These results may help them and their doctors make a more informed choice. Based on the study, women with T2D may want to consider using skin patches instead of pills for HRT.
In conclusion, this research suggests that HRT skin patches appear to be a safer option for women with type 2 diabetes, with fewer risks for blood clots and heart disease.
Doctors and patients can use this information to make better decisions about menopause treatment. However, more studies are needed to confirm these results and include women from more diverse backgrounds.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Scientists find a promising treatment for type 2 diabetes and findings of Certain type 2 diabetes treatment may bring heart risks.
For more about diabetes, please read studies about New type 2 diabetes treatment could help patients stop taking insulin and findings of Scientists find true cause of inflammation in type 2 diabetes.
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