In April of 2017 a new form of hormone therapy was approved by Health Canada for women with an intact uterus. It has already been in the United States for over a year. When giving systemic doses of estrogen for the treatment of hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, progesterone is commonly given to block estrogen stimulating the lining of the uterus. As some women cannot tolerate progesterone, this new product offers the benefits of estrogen with a different agent to block stiumulation to the uterus. The additional benefit is that it also blocks estrogen stimulus to the breast. This product is referred to as a tissue selective estrogen complex (TSEC). It is a combination of oral conjugated estrogen and a selective estrogen receptor modulator called Bazedoxifene. It is sold under the name of Duavive. This offers women who are appropriate candidates for hormone therapy another option.
Our pharmacist Carolyn Whiskin is not only a specialist in the field of biologic medication but is also a certified menopause practitioner with the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). She recently returned from the annual NAMS meeting in Philadelphia. Over the next several weeks we will be sharing some of the key learnings from this meeting. Be sure to follow our weekly blog and Facebook page for this information.