Hormone Formulations Used in Clinical Practice

Currently, a number of FDA-approved hormone therapy options are being used to successfully treat unpleasant symptoms linked with the shifting endogenous hormonal milieu that occurs with menopause in midlife. Different hormone therapy formulations are used depending on the primary indication for treatment, including estrogen-only, progestogen-only, and combined estrogen and progestogen choices. Little is known about how these formulations affect neurobiological processes or their specific pharmacodynamics. Preclinical and clinical findings on the cognitive effects of hormone therapies, such as the negative effects of conjugated equine estrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate versus naturally circulating 17-estradiol (E2) and progesterone, suggest that more research is needed into the neuro-cognitive impact of hormone therapy formulation.