Menopause and VTE

Hormone replacement treatment that many women take can lead to a thrombosis or pulmonary embolism

Many women are given hormone replacement treatment to cope with some unpleasant symptoms associated with menopause. This type of drugs contain estrogens and progesterone, equaling the risk of developing a venus thromboembolism (VTE, thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism) during hormone replacement treatment similar to the that of taking combined hormonal contraceptives.

Moreover, women who receive this treatment are older and have other factors that could cause a thrombosis.

We do not really know the real frequency of VTE in women at menopause age. When we diagnosed a VTE in a young girl, we, the doctors, always asked if she was taking contraception. But for women between the ages of 45-55, we rarely ask this, as we do not tend to think that they may be taking hormone replacement treatments.