Efficacy, tolerability, and rare side effects of tibolone treatment in postmenopausal women

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the tolerability and sid e effects of tibolone (Livial(R), Organon), a synthetic steroid analogue fo r the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms, in a large population of patien ts. Method: 1189 postmenopausal patients were included in this study. The p atients' blood pressure, body weight, general complaints, and the severity of their climacteric complaints were documented at baseline and after 4 mon ths of tibolone treatment. Results: Tibolone significantly relieved all of the classical menopausal complaints. The proportion of patients with bleedi ng problems dropped significantly from 15.9% to 6.8%. Other complaints, suc h as headache, vertigo, nervousness, breast tenderness, and hirsutism were also significantly less frequent than before treatment. Only few women repo rted other rare side effects: and only 14.4% of women discontinued treatmen t prematurely. Conclusion: Tibolone provides an efficient and safe means of treating the postmenopausal syndrome in every-day practice. (C) 1999 Inter national Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.