THE EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS COMBINED TRANSDERMAL ESTROGEN-PROGESTOGEN TREATMENT ON BLEEDING PATTERNS AND THE ENDOMETRIUM IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Fifty postmenopausal women requiring hormone replacement therapy for t he treatment of climacteric symptoms were recruited in six centers. Al l patients received a new combined norethisterone acetate (NETA)/oestr adiol (E(2))-TTS, (Estragest TTS, Ciba-Geigy Ltd), delivering 0.25 mg NETA and 50 mu g E(2) per day, continuously for 12 calendar months. Bl eeding occurred in 38 (76%) of the 50 patients at any time during the 1 year treatment, The percentage of patients without bleeding increase d gradually each month, from 24% in the second month to a relatively s table level of similar to 80% in month 7 and thereafter, Twenty-seven patients (54%) did not complete the whole trial period; 15 of which di scontinued the treatment within the first few months due to irregular bleeding, In patients who remained in the trial, a clear decrease in t he frequency and intensity of the bleeding was observed with time. Ble eding was mostly light or consisted of spotting only, None of the post -trial biopsies showed proliferation or hyperplasia of the endometrium . The treatment resulted in a substantial decrease of climacteric symp toms (Kupperman index) within 4 months and was well tolerated, It was concluded that the continuous NETA/E(2)-TTS treatment is an effective and safe alternative for the treatment of climacteric symptoms in sele cted patients.