[Russian Eligibility Criteria for Prescribing Menopausal Hormone Therapy to Patients With Cardiovascular and...

Menopausal symptoms can disrupt women's well-being at the peak of their careers and family life. Currently, the most effective treatment for these symptoms is menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The presence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases does not preclude the use of MHT to relieve menopausal symptoms and improve quality of life. However, physicians' concerns about causing more harm than benefits often hinder the use of this type of hormone therapy. Caution is especially important for women with comorbidities. Moreover, it should be acknowledged that high-quality studies of the MHT safety in major chronic noncommunicable diseases and common comorbidities are insufficient. This consensus document analyzes all currently available data from clinical trials of various designs and develops a set of eligibility criteria for prescribing MHT to women with cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. Based on this document, physicians of various specialties who provide menopause care to women will receive an accessible algorithm that will allow them to avoid potentially dangerous situations and appropriately prescribe MHT in clinical practice.