Skinfold thickness and long-term post-menopausal hormone therapy

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Gynecology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Post-menopausal hormone therapy (HT) is widely used for symptom management.
• Long-term effects of various HT formulations on body composition require further investigation.
• Skinfold thickness is a common anthropometric measure for assessing subcutaneous fat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different long-term hormone therapy regimens on skinfold thickness in post-menopausal women.
• To compare skinfold thickness in women receiving hormone therapy versus a control group.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 130 post-menopausal women undergoing long-term hormone therapy.
• Treatment groups included oestradiol valerate, oestriol succinate, and combined oestradiol valerate with norgestrel.
• A control group of 89 post-menopausal women not receiving hormone therapy was included for comparison.
• Skinfold thickness was the primary outcome measure.

Main Results:

• All hormone therapy groups exhibited significantly greater skinfold thickness compared to the control group.
• The duration of treatment varied across the hormone therapy groups, with some exceeding 6 years.

Conclusions:

• Long-term hormone therapy, regardless of the specific regimen, is associated with increased skinfold thickness in post-menopausal women.
• These findings suggest a potential impact of hormone replacement therapy on subcutaneous fat distribution.