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Updated: Oct 16, 2026

An In Vivo Estrogen Deficiency Mouse Model for Screening Exogenous Estrogen Treatments of Cardiovascular Dysfunction After Menopause
Published on: August 13, 2019
Physical and psychosocial correlates of hormone replacement therapy with chronically stressed postmenopausal women
A M Steffen1, L W Thompson, D Gallagher-Thompson
1University of Missouri, St. Louis, USA.
Objectives:
This study investigated the relationship between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use and physical and psychosocial functioning in a sample of chronically stressed older women.
Methods:
Participants (N = 94) were postmenopausal women caring for a parent or spouse with dementia. Caregivers were evaluated using both psychological and physical health indices.
Results:
Caregivers receiving HRT reported lower levels of hostility and were less likely to report unpleasant interactions with members of their support network; these findings were unrelated to demographic variables, caregiving-related indices, or health behaviors. HRT recipients had lower 10-year risk scores for cardiovascular disease, but there were no group differences in stroke risk. The largest effects on hostility, depression, heart and stroke risk were observed in caregivers receiving a combination of estradiol and progesterone.
Discussion:
HRT for postmenopausal women may promote positive outcomes for some, but not for all, affective states and cardiovascular variables vulnerable to chronic life stressors.
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