HRT: A Boost for Libido, But Not Memory

Although the number of women involved may seem small, this was the largest study to look at the effects of hormone therapy on early postmenopausal women. The authors had originally intended to look at 275 women, but enrollment coincided with the release of the results of the original Women's Health Initiative, which found various negative health effects from hormone therapy. As a result, fewer women were willing to participate in this study.

The study authors found no significant differences in cognition between the two groups, although there was a non-statistically significant trend toward a decrease in memory among the women taking hormones.

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This finding fits with previous research suggesting that hormone therapy has little effect on memory when taken many years after menopause. It is in contrast to smaller studies that showed an improvement in verbal memory among women taking only estrogen, but it could be that progesterone neutralizes this protective effect of estrogen, the study authors said.

The study did, however, find an increase in sexual interest and thoughts in women taking hormone therapy. Women taking hormones had a 44 percent increase in sexual interest and their number of sexual thoughts increased 32 percent, compared to the placebo group.

The combination of estrogen plus progesterone also relieved some of the hallmark symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

"Surprisingly little is known about sexuality and hormone therapy in menopausal women despite the fact that vaginal dryness and sexual-desire losses are symptomatic at that time," Maki said. "We found these pretty interesting effects, which says that this could be a benefit for women who are seeking hormone therapy and that maybe we ought to study sexuality and hormones a little bit more and not disregard sexuality."

At the same time, women considering hormone therapy should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits.

"In the last year, we've had a number of publications showing that when you separate out younger postmenopausal women, they don't have the same health risks that women who are older have," Maki said. "In fact, the overall risk-benefit ratio in younger women is for a benefit. I'm hoping that there's a growing appreciation for considering the age of the woman and how the health benefits and risks of hormone therapy need to be considered in light of that."