{"id":724,"date":"2026-01-26T12:07:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/?p=724"},"modified":"2026-04-08T22:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T22:44:15","slug":"oral-hrt-linked-to-higher-heart-disease-risk-in-women-with-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/oral-hrt-linked-to-higher-heart-disease-risk-in-women-with-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Oral HRT linked to higher heart disease risk in women with diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-12va8w7\" data-testid=\"tabbed-article-section\">\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Each year about 25 million women around the world experience menopause.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment sometimes prescribed to people going through menopause, which has some potential complications, including blood clots and stroke.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>New research says that women with type 2 diabetes using HRT skin patches are not at a higher risk for blood clots or stroke.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>However, the study did find that women with type 2 diabetes taking oral HRT may increase their risk for pulmonary embolism and heart disease overall.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>According to the\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/eurohealth.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Menopause-Policy-Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Institute of Women\u2019s Health<\/a>, each year about 25 million people around the world experience\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/317615\">menopause<\/a> \u2014 a time where the female reproductive period ends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/181726\">Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)<\/a>\u00a0is a treatment sometimes prescribed to women going through menopause to help ease the condition\u2019s\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/155651\">symptoms<\/a>. HRT may include individual or combinations of the hormones\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/277177\">estrogen<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/progesterone-hrt-side-effects\">progesterone<\/a>, depending on a person\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>HRT is available in a variety of forms, including tablets, gels, rings, injections, and skin patches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Just like any medication, there are some\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/hrt-risks\">side effects and complications<\/a>\u00a0that can occur when taking HRT. Past studies show that HRT may increase a the risk for\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/about-cancer\/causes-prevention\/risk\/hormones\/mht-fact-sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">certain cancers<span class=\"css-16y17d3 icon-hl-trusted-source-after\"><span class=\"sro\">Trusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>, such as\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanonc\/article\/PIIS1470-2045(25)00211-6\/abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">breast cancer<span class=\"css-16y17d3 icon-hl-trusted-source-after\"><span class=\"sro\">Trusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8801732\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">endometrial cancer<\/a>, as well as for cardiovascular events like\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/387\/bmj-2023-078784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">blood clots<span class=\"css-16y17d3 icon-hl-trusted-source-after\"><span class=\"sro\">Trusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28626058\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stroke<span class=\"css-16y17d3 icon-hl-trusted-source-after\"><span class=\"sro\">Trusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10612533\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">heart attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Research recently presented at the\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.easd.org\/annual-meeting\/easd-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2025 Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)<\/a>\u00a0reports that women with\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/317462\">type 2 diabetes<\/a>\u00a0using HRT skin patches are not at a higher risk for blood clots or stroke.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>However, the study did find that women with type 2 diabetes taking oral HRT may increase their risk for\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/153796\">pulmonary embolism<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 when a blood clot forms in a lung artery \u2014 and heart disease overall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>This research is yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-pp6cpn css-sg2j7y\">\n<aside class=\"css-1s8spa1\" data-testid=\"sticky-inline-ad\" data-sticky=\"false\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6\">\n<div class=\"css-1n8gtoc\" data-empty=\"true\">\n<div class=\"css-1b7bwed\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"inline2__slot\" class=\"css-pakzgc\" data-ad=\"true\" data-adbridg-skvp=\"\" data-adbridg-ad-class-unloaded=\"dlb\" data-adbridg-slot-lc=\"attribute=known@9.7s;slot=in_progress@29.0s;ctr=1@29.0s;ad_request(batch_no=2)@+604.9s;rendered=filled(lineItemId=5220077698&amp;creativeId=138320074731)@+611.0s;viewed=true@+617.5s\" data-google-query-id=\"CMrruZiVqZIDFYPqDQkdtN4xuA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/4788\/mnt\/pagenumber1\/DLB4_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1avyp1d\" data-testid=\"tabbed-article-section\">\n<h2>Oral HRT linked to increased risk for pulmonary embolism<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>For this study, researchers analyzed medical data from the TriNetX global database of more than 36,000 women with an average age of 59 from across the United States and Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Participants were selected if they had started an HRT and\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/8274\">statin<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a medication used to help lower cholesterol levels \u2014 or just a statin prescription.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Study participants were followed for an average of 5 years to see if they developed pulmonary embolism,\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/153704\">deep vein thrombosis (DVT)<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK209964\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ischemic heart disease<span class=\"css-16y17d3 icon-hl-trusted-source-after\"><span class=\"sro\">Trusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/318098\">ischemic stroke<\/a>, or\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/159675\">ovarian<\/a>, breast, or endometrial cancers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>At the study\u2019s conclusion, researchers found that study participants with type 2 diabetes taking transdermal HRT via skin patches had a 25% lower risk of developing heart disease, and no difference in risk for pulmonary embolism, DVT, stroke, or cancer, when compared to females with type 2 diabetes not taking HRT.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>However, when looking at participants with type 2 diabetes taking oral HRT, they had double the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism, and a 21% higher chance for heart disease, when compared to participants taking transdermal HRT.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cOur study suggests that up to 5 years of regulator-approved doses of transdermal HRT appears safe in a large cohort of women in midlife with type 2 diabetes, and that the use of HRT skin patches is not associated with an excess increased risk of cardiovascular complications or estrogen-sensitive cancers when compared to women with type 2 diabetes who did not use HRT,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpool.ac.uk\/people\/matthew-anson\/research-outputs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matthew Anson<\/a>, PhD, clinical research fellow at the University of Liverpool and University Hospitals of Liverpool Group in the United Kingdom, and lead author of this study said in a\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1098060\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cHowever, given increased risks with oral HRT, we propose that women with type 2 diabetes should not be prescribed oral estrogen therapy,\u201d Anson added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mf0a290a0-b400-4089-a1ea-5660b4b0fc17mpd_firstQuarter_24ec97c3-ef0b-4798-bcd2-2739a9bd92fa\" class=\"\" data-testid=\"driver\" data-placement=\"firstQuarter\">\n<div>\n<form action=\"data:,\" novalidate=\"\" data-testid=\"newsletter-form\">\n<div data-testid=\"newsletter-email-container\">\n<div>\n<section class=\"css-gp4rj6\">\n<div class=\"css-16fzvy3\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1uoh1hw\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1avyp1d\" data-testid=\"tabbed-article-section\">\n<h2>Who benefits from HRT, and who should worry about risks?<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p><em>Medical News Today\u00a0<\/em>spoke with\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/doctors.hackensackmeridianhealth.org\/provider\/jennifer-cheng\/1315613\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jennifer Cheng<\/a>, DO, chief of endocrinology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Cheng, who was not involved in this research, said that she found the study promising and that it highlights the need to recognize patients who may benefit from HRT or, on the contrary, whom this therapy may place at higher risk of certain health complications.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWe need to consider carefully especially since women with type 2 diabetes may develop cardiac disease at high rates and do not have the typical symptoms for heart attacks,\u201d she explained. \u201cMitigating the risks would be welcome in these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\"><p>\u201cThe oral versus transdermal route of administration shows that patients with pre-existing cardiovascular risk may have higher risk for pulmonary embolism and ischemic heart disease in patients with diabetes. It provides evidence of avoiding oral estrogens in women with diabetes with higher risk as compared to the transdermal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Jennifer Cheng, DO<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cIt is promising for patients receiving transdermal HRT having a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease without increased risk of stroke or blood clots,\u201d Cheng added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWomen with diabetes are concerned about cardiovascular risks since diabetes is cardiovascular risk equivalent \u2014 [meaning there is an] increased risk of heart disease. The study provides positive data that shows that we can treat menopausal symptoms with transdermal HRT without increased vascular risk, and potentially having cardiac benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-pp6cpn css-sg2j7y\">\n<aside class=\"css-1s8spa1\" data-testid=\"sticky-inline-ad\" data-sticky=\"false\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6\">\n<div class=\"css-1n8gtoc\" data-empty=\"true\">\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>The importance of this research cannot be overemphasized\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1avyp1d\" data-testid=\"tabbed-article-section\">\n<div>\n<p><em>MNT<\/em>\u00a0also spoke with\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sjpp.org\/find-a-doctor\/sheryl-ross-md\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sherry Ross<\/a>, MD, a board-certified OB\/GYN and Women\u2019s Health Expert at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about this research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWith over 100 disruptive symptoms of menopause, hormone therapy can change a person\u2019s quality of life,\u201d Ross, who was not involved in the study, said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWomen with type 2 diabetes must be counseled on the increased risks of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart disease, and stroke when using hormone therapy. As a doctor, it is our responsibility to ensure those with type 2 diabetes use the transdermal form of estrogen to decrease these dangerous risks associated with hormone therapy, compared to those taking oral estrogen,\u201d Ross advised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThere simply has not been enough research done on menopause and the safety profiles for women using hormone therapy, especially those with other medical complications,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\"><p>\u201cThe importance of this research cannot be overemphasized, especially for those with ongoing medical conditions, and how the form of hormone therapy can potentially layer in additional health risks. Since heart disease is the\u00a0<a class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goredforwomen.org\/en\/about-heart-disease-in-women\/facts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">number one killer of women<\/a>, minimizing additional risks should be our top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Sherry Ross, MD<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cLarger sized, prospective studies, would help find other potential cardiovascular risks associated with different forms of hormone therapy used,\u201d Ross added. \u201cThere are many associated risks for heart disease, so separating out some of these common risk factors would help to understand the relationship between type 2 diabetes and hormone therapy formulations used to treat the disruptive symptoms of menopause.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year about 25 million women around the world experience menopause. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment sometimes prescribed to people going through menopause, which has some potential complications, including blood clots and stroke. New research says that women with type 2 diabetes using HRT skin patches are not at a higher risk for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}