What Doctors Don't Tell YouHormone replacement therapy (HRT) seems to be causing Raynaud’s phenomenon, where poor circulation leads to the sensation of cold in the body’s extremities.
In a study of 497 postmenopausal women, 10 per cent complained of symptoms that suggested Raynaud’s. Most of those were taking estrogen, the Framlingham Offspring Study discovered.
One possible solution, suggested by a separate commentary, is to put women on the combination HRT with progesterone, rather than estrogen alone. Another, not mentioned, is to take them off HRT altogether (Ann Intern Med, 1998; 129: 208-11).
Maryon Stewart
Tom Ferguson MD
Daniel Redwood DC