Help For Those Who Suffer From Hot Flashes And Night Sweats (NAPSA)—There’s encouraging news for menopausal women who experience debilitating hot flashes and night sweats but remain hesitant to treat their symptoms with hormone therapy (HT). Climara Pro, a new treatment option that effectively relieves moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, offers the lowest estrogen dose of any combined hormone therapy in a convenient, once-a-week patch. Eighty percent of women experience symptoms of menopause at some point in their lives. For some, the symptoms are so severe that they disrupt sleep and interfere with daily life. Many also report strained relationships with family and friends due to altered moods, resulting from fatigue and constant discomfort. “T have hot flashes and night sweats which constantly wake me up in the middle of the night. This impacts myability to perform during the course of the day. It also interferes with how I interact with my coworkers and family,” said Marcia Bethea. “Estrogen therapy remains the most effective means of relieving vasomotor symptomsand, in fact, recent studies are showinga significant number of women return to hormone therapy after discontinuation. They restart this therapy because they are again experiencing symptoms that significantly and negatively affect their lives,” said James A. Simon, M.D., Clinical Professor, George Washington University, menopause specialist, and Climara Pro investigator. A new transdermal patch offers women another option for treating menopausal symptoms. Leading authorities including the FDA recommend using the lowest effective hormone therapy dose for the shortest duration possible to meet therapy goals. Transdermal (patch) therapy offers an important low-dose option for women who need the effectiveness of HT. The Climara Pro patch offers effective symptom relief with a fraction of the estrogen dose of standard oral hormone therapy products. Climara Pro is also the first hormone therapy to use levonorgestrel, a progestin that has been used safely and effectively in a variety of women’s health care products worldwide for more than 20 years. In addition, the transdermal technology of Climara Pro, unlike oral therapy, does not pass through the liver during absorption, which translates to no increase in triglycerides (fatty substances found in the blood). Two well-controlled, randomized clinical trials showed that Cli- mara Pro rapidly andeffectively controlled menopausal symptoms. For many patients, the frequency and severity of hot flashes wassignificantly reduced as early as week one, and 90 percent of women experienced an 80 percent reduction in hot flash frequency by week 12. Climara Pro also has a favorable side effect profile. Clinical trial participants experienced a low skin irritation rate, no effect on body weight and a bleeding profile comparable to other combination hormonetherapies. Climara Pro should not be used by women with known or suspected pregnancy, breast cancer, estrogen-dependent neoplasia, undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding, active thrombophlebitis, thromboembolic disorders or stroke, liver dysfunction or disease, or any known hypersensitivity to estrogen, progestin or any Climara Pro transdermal system components. Estrogens with or without progestins should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase a woman’s risk of heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. A woman and herhealth care provider should discuss regularly whethershestill needs estrogen treatment. In the absence of data on Climara Pro comparable in scope to that of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the risks identified in the WHI should be assumed to be similarfor all postmenopausal hormone therapy. For more information, visit the Web site at www.berlex.com.
