Hormone patches or creams for menopause symptoms may have lower blood pressure risk than pills

LAURAN NEERGAARD

WOMEN often use hormone therapy to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms – and new research suggests patches or creams may be safer for their blood pressure than pills.

As women’s bodies produce lower levels of reproductive hormones during menopause their risk for heart disease rises. High blood pressure further increases that risk – but it’s not clear whether there’s a link with hormone therapy for menopause symptoms.

Canadian researchers wondered if the way hormones are absorbed – orally, vaginally or through the skin – could play a role.

The University of Calgary team examined health records of more than 112,000 women ages 45 and older who filled prescriptions for at least six months’ worth of estrogen-only hormone treatment between 2008 and 2019. They tracked which women went on to develop high blood pressure at least a year after starting treatment.

While the differences weren’t huge, women