Urinary incontinence and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

• previously HRT was considered a treatment option. However results from the Women's Health Initiative revealed that HRT was associated with increased incidence and severity of urinary incontinence (UI) (1)
  • the authors concluded that conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) alone and CEE + medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) increased the risk of UI among continent women and worsened the characteristics of UI among symptomatic women after 1 year. Conjugated equine estrogen with or without progestin should not be prescribed for the prevention or relief of UI
• the WHI study results confirmed earlier findings of the HERS trial (2)

Reference:

1. Hendrix SL et al. Effects of estrogen with and without progrestin on urinary incontinence. JAMA 2005; 293:935-48
2. Grady D et al.Postmenopausal hormones and incontinence: the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study. Obstet Gynecol 2001;97:116-20