EFFECTS OF NOMEGESTROL ACETATE ON ESTROGE N-MEDIATED IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women is followed by se veral benefits including a prompt improvement of quality of life. Due to uterine proliferation induced by prolonged estrogen intake, progest ogens are usually associated, on a cyclical basis, in hormonal replace ment therapy prescribed to non-hysterectomized women. Persistance of t he beneficial effect of estrogen on quality of life, during progestoge ns intake, was never investigated We evaluated, through a specific and previously validated questionnaire, the changes in quality of life ob served in 351 women recently menopaused after 6 months of hormonal rep lacement therapy associating 24 days of estrogens and 12 days of admin istration of a non androgenic progestogen : nomegestrol acetate. Patie nts were randomized within two therapeutic groups in which evaluation of quality of life was performed either during the administration of e strogen alone or during administration of estrogen and progestogen. In the two groups, hormonal replacement therapy was followed by a signif icant improvement (P < 0,001) in qualify of life and no significant di fference was observed between the changes observed during estrogen or estrogen-progestogen administration. Quality of life indices measured after 6 months of hormonal replacement therapy are within the same ran ge than values previously described in eugonadal women. We conclude th at improvement of quality of life induced by estrogen replacement ther apy remains unchanged during cyclical administration of nomegestrol ac etate.