Clinical efficacy of hormone replacement therapy in patients with Menopausal Symptoms

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63326/z1sn7z68

Keywords:

Menopause, Hormone therapy, Efficacy, Biostatistics

Abstract

The objective was to determine the clinical efficacy of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in patients with climacteric symptoms. A total of 532 patients who attended the urogynecology clinic between April 2023 and November 2025 were included and classified according to diagnosis as premature ovarian insufficiency (n = 72), early menopause (n = 98), and late menopause (n = 362). All participants underwent medical history assessment, physical examination, and laboratory testing in accordance with recommendations established in international guidelines. Prior to treatment initiation, patients received information regarding the benefits and risks associated with HRT. Clinical response was assessed at 2, 6, and 12 months using a 0–10 visual analog scale, where 0 indicated no improvement and 10 indicated complete improvement. Lack of therapeutic response was defined as no reported improvement, including patients who did not initiate or discontinued treatment because of fear of medication use, difficulties accessing the treatment, or insufficient understanding of the information provided. Using a clinical improvement threshold of ≥70%, treatment efficacy was 85.0% (95% CI: 0.82–0.88; p < 0.001), whereas with a threshold of ≥80%, clinical efficacy was 76.9% (95% CI: 0.73–0.80; p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in efficacy were observed among the treatment groups (p = 0.176). It was concluded that hormone replacement therapy demonstrated high clinical efficacy in patients with climacteric symptoms; however, there is a need to strengthen information regarding its benefits and risks, improve access to diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and ensure multidisciplinary follow-up to promote treatment adherence and optimize clinical outcomes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Primo Roberto Martinez Chavarria, UNAB

    Médico especialista en urología ginecológica con amplia experiencia en diagnóstico y tratamiento médico y quirúrgico. Además, especializado en Investigación Científica y Docencia Universitaria.

References

Aggarwal, N., Meeta, M., & Chawla, N. (2022). Menopause management: A manual for primary care practitioners and nurse practitioners. Journal of Mid-Life Health, 13(Suppl. 1), S2–S51. https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_85_22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_85_22

Barber, K., & Charles, A. (2023). Barriers to accessing effective treatment and support for menopausal symptoms: A qualitative study capturing the behaviours, beliefs and experiences of key stakeholders. Patient Preference and Adherence, 17, 2971–2980. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S430203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S430203

Brown, L., Hunter, M. S., Chen, R., Crandall, C. J., Gordon, J. L., Mishra, G. D., Rother, V., Joffe, H., & Hickey, M. (2024). Promoting good mental health over the menopause transition. The Lancet, 403(10430), 969–983. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02801-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02801-5

Corrigan, S., McCallion, P., McCarron, M., de Vries, J., & Burke, É. (2026). Using network analysis to understand the associations between menopausal symptoms and mental health in women with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 39(2), e70216. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70216 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70216

Crockett, C., Lichtveld, G., Macdonald, R., Newson, L., & Rampling, K. J. (2026). Menopause and mental health. Advances in Therapy, 43(1), 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-025-03427-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-025-03427-w

Davis, S. R., Taylor, S. L., Hemachandra, C., Magraith, K., Ebeling, P. R., Jane, F., & Islam, R. M. (2023). The 2023 practitioner's toolkit for managing menopause. Climacteric, 26(6), 517–536. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2023.2258783

Hendriks, O., McIntyre, J. C., Rose, A. K., Sambrook, L., Reisel, D., Crockett, C., Newson, L., & Saini, P. (2025). Menopause and suicide: A systematic review. Women's Health, 21, 17455057251360517. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251360517 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251360517

Hirst, J., & Hillman, S. (2025). Menopause care is neglected and inequitable. BMJ, 390, Article r2038. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r2038 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r2038

Keye, C., Murphy, M., & O’Driscoll, M. (2026). Mapping menopause education for healthcare professionals: A scoping review. Climacteric. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2026.2676683 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.08.25327133

Martin-Key, N. A., Funnell, E. L., Spadaro, B., & Bahn, S. (2023). Perceptions of healthcare provision throughout the menopause in the UK: A mixed-methods study. npj Women's Health, 1, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-023-00002-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-023-00002-y

McCarthy, L.-J., O’Mahony, A., Jennings, A. A., & McHugh, S. (2026). Navigating uncharted waters: A meta-ethnography exploring general practitioners and women’s experience of perimenopause consultations in general practice. International Journal of Women’s Health, 18, 585874. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S585874 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S585874

McFeeters, C., Pedlow, K., McGinn, D., & McConnell, K. (2024). A rapid review of menopausal education programmes. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 27(6), 975–983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01476-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01476-8

Mishra, G. D., Davies, M. C., Hillman, S., Chung, H.-F., Roy, S., Maclaran, K., & Hickey, M. (2024). Optimising health after early menopause. The Lancet, 403(10430), 958–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02800-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02800-3

Mukherjee, A., & Davis, S. R. (2025). Update on menopause hormone therapy: Current indications and unanswered questions. Clinical Endocrinology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.15211 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.15211

Nash, Z., & Davies, M. (2024). Premature ovarian insufficiency. The BMJ, 384, e077469. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077469 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077469

Orgad, S., & Rottenberg, C. (2024). The menopause moment: The rising visibility of ‘the change’ in UK news coverage. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 27(4), 519–539. https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494231159562 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494231159562

Panay, N., Fenton, A., Hamoda, H., Hillard, T., Islam, R., Pedder, H., Romero, L., Vincent, A. J., & IMS Recommendations Writing Group. (2025). International Menopause Society (IMS) recommendations and key messages on women’s midlife health and menopause. Climacteric. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2585487 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2585487

Proctor, D. (2025). Developing an evidence-based intervention for cognitive symptoms of the menopause [Doctoral thesis, UCL (University College London)]. UCL Discovery.

Rottenberg, C., & Gilchrist, K. (2026). The menopausal subject at work: Gendered embodiment and neoliberal management in the UK. Journal of Gender Studies, 35(1), 92–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2025.2451202 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2025.2451202

Saadedine, M., Banks, V., Dinkel-Keuthage, C., Caetano, C., Argyriou, G., Moeller, C., Schoof, N., Vizcaya, D., Francuski, M., Golozar, A., Römer, T., & Kubba, A. (2026). Treatments in women experiencing natural menopause: A cohort study from the USA, the UK and Germany. Climacteric, 29(1), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2530466 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2025.2530466

Tariq, B., Phillips, S., Biswakarma, R., Yasmin, E., Radhakrishnan, S., Saridogan, E., Davies, M., & Talaulikar, V. (2023). Women’s knowledge and attitudes to the menopause: A comparison of women over 40 who were in the perimenopause, post menopause and those not in the peri or post menopause. BMC Women’s Health, 23, Article 460. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02424-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02424-x

Throsby, K. (2026). Menopause and the paradoxes of self-help. The Sociological Review, 74(4), 707–726. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261261451656 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261261451656

Additional Files

Published

2026-09-03

How to Cite

Martinez Chavarria, P. R. (2026). Clinical efficacy of hormone replacement therapy in patients with Menopausal Symptoms. Panorama UNAB, 9(2 julio-diciembre), 17-29. https://doi.org/10.63326/z1sn7z68