Hormone Therapy Improves Your Sex Life, But ...

Hormone replacement therapy significantly improves the sex lives of the women who take it, a scientific study has found.

Studies have already shown how HRT could improve general quality of life.

But research published yesterday looked at specific areas in which it could help women aged 50 to 69 -- and found it improved sexual functioning and sleep and eased joint pain.

This research, published by the British Medical Journal, found women treated with HRT in trials suffered less from insomnia and had significantly fewer hot flushes, night sweats and aching joints and muscles than those given a placebo.

After a year, there were significant improvements in sexual functioning, sleep problems and what are known as vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and sweats.

The study, carried out by a team from Adelaide University in Australia, involved more than 2000 women in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

HRT has previously been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

In the paper, published on BMJ.com, the authors said: "Combined HRT improves sleep, aches and pains, and sexual functioning.

"These gains can now be factored in to a woman's choice to use combined HRT."

They said these benefits must be weighed against the risks of taking HRT - and called for further research, saying consideration should be given to revising guidelines.

But other experts urged caution on the study.

Women's health expert Professor Anne Kavanagh, of the University of Melbourne, said: "The increased risk of serious diseases including breast cancer, coronary heart disease and blood clots with the use of combined oestrogen and progesterone therapy isnow well established.

"While this study shows some short-term benefits of combined hormone therapy use on symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and joint pain, it did not show overall improvements in overall quality of life or depression.

"In fact, the study found quality of life was actually lower in the first few months of treatment."

Professor Henry Burger, a former president of the International Menopause Society, said the findings were "unlikely to impact significantly" on the doses of HRT currently used to treat symptoms as they were "effective and safe".

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