Bioidentical 'Natural' Hormone Evaluation in Early Menopause

Overview[ - collapse ][ - ]

Purpose Prospective double blind pilot study comparing bioidentical 'natural' hormones to low-dose PremPro. Forty participants will be enrolled. The purpose of this study is to try to gather early information about safety when "natural" or bioidentical hormones are used during early menopause.
ConditionMenopause
InterventionDrug: Prempro, premarin, provera conjugated estrogens, medroxyprogesterone acetate
Drug: Estradiol , estriol , progesterone
Drug: estradiol,progesterone
Drug: estriol, progesterone
PhasePhase 2
SponsorJeanne Drisko, MD, CNS, FACN
Responsible PartyUniversity of Kansas
ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT00302731
First ReceivedMarch 10, 2006
Last UpdatedJanuary 6, 2014
Last verifiedJanuary 2014

Tracking Information[ + expand ][ + ]

First Received DateMarch 10, 2006
Last Updated DateJanuary 6, 2014
Start DateFebruary 2006
Estimated Primary Completion DateDecember 2013
Current Primary Outcome Measuresevaluating surrogate markers for cardiovascular disease (lipid levels) [Time Frame: baseline, 6 months, and at 12-month completion] [Designated as safety issue: Yes]
Current Secondary Outcome MeasuresSecondary evaluation of breast (mammogram)and uterus (endovaginal ultrasound) and to collect information about bone preservation [Time Frame: baseline, and at 12-month completion] [Designated as safety issue: Yes]

Descriptive Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Brief TitleBioidentical 'Natural' Hormone Evaluation in Early Menopause
Official TitleProspective Double Blind Evaluation of Bioidentical Hormones
Brief Summary
Prospective double blind pilot study comparing bioidentical 'natural' hormones to low-dose
PremPro. Forty participants will be enrolled. The purpose of this study is to try to gather
early information about safety when "natural" or bioidentical hormones are used during early
menopause.
Detailed Description
In spite of warnings regarding safety and adverse events widely publicized after the Women's
Health Initiative (WHI), women continue to seek hormone replacement therapy for a variety of
reasons. Increased cardiovascular events identified in WHI are an important concern for
considering menopausal hormone replacement. There is the belief the 'natural' or
bioidentical hormone replacement therapy could provide a safe alternative to widely used
synthetic hormone replacement therapy. However, this has never been studied with any rigor
and health care providers can not adequately advise patients seeking 'natural' bioidentical
hormone therapy.

This feasibility pilot study is designed as a prospective double blind study comparing 4
groups of women who are within 7 years of menopause. There will be 10 women in each of the 4
groups with a total of 40 women enrolled and these women will be treated for 12 months.

The Long-Term Goal is to provide health care practitioners and consumers with evidence-based
recommendations for the use of bioidentical hormone replacement. The Short-Term Goal of this
pilot study is to determine if it is feasible to conduct a study in bioidentical hormones
and obtain information that could lead to a larger more definitive study. We would like to
provide safety information for bioidentical hormone use by evaluating surrogate markers for
cardiovascular disease (lipid levels), with secondary evaluation of breast (mammogram) and
uterus (endovaginal ultrasound), and to collect information about bone preservation.

The information gained from this trial will provide information for a future trial to test
the hypothesis that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy provides a safe alternative to
standard hormone replacement therapy: To determine if bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy is associated with improved lipid profiles (surrogate marker for cardiovascular
disease) when compared to Prempro. This will be determined by evaluating lipid levels at
baseline and during the 12-month treatment period.

Secondary hypotheses will also be evaluated in the future to include:

1. To determine if bioidentical hormone replacement therapy provides improved short-term
risk profiles for uterine and breast health when compared to Prempro. This will be
accomplished by requiring mammograms and endovaginal ultrasounds at baseline and the
end of the 12-month treatment period.

2. To determine if there is bone loss when using bioidentical hormone replacement when
compared to Prempro. This aim will be evaluated by Dexa bone scan at baseline and at 12
months.

Subjects will randomly be assigned to one of the four arms of the study for the 12 months of
treatment. The standard of care arm will consist of 10 women receiving in a double blind
fashion low-dose Prempro. There will be 3 treatment arms consisting of different
combinations of E2 estradiol and/or E3 estriol, all combined with bioidentical progesterone.
These 3 arms will each have 10 subjects randomized and the bioidentical hormone delivered in
a double blind fashion. Since the gold standard for treatment is the conventional arm
(Prempro), we will compare each bioidentical arms to the gold standard. This comparison
will occur at the end of 12 months of treatment. In this pilot study, we also wish to
collect preliminary data about the comparisons between the 3 bioidentical hormone arm and
the conventional arm. This is necessary because there is currently anecdotal evidence that
E3 alone without combination with E2 may constitute adequate therapy in spite of its low
biological activity at the estrogen receptor. The use of high doses of E3 with or without E2
is in common use by complementary and alternative practitioners.

It is expected in this small pilot study that bioidentical hormone will provide an adequate
short-term safety profile for cardiovascular, breast and uterine health that will provide
guidance for a larger trial that is longer in duration. It is also expected that bone
density may be maintained by bioidentical hormone replacement when compared to Prempro.
There may not be sufficient numbers to determine significance between the control arm and
the treatment arms; however, we expect to collect useful information for future trials. It
is assumed that equivalence will not likely be determined based on the sample size.
Study TypeInterventional
Study PhasePhase 2
Study DesignAllocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment
ConditionMenopause
InterventionDrug: Prempro, premarin, provera conjugated estrogens, medroxyprogesterone acetate
Prempro, premarin .45mg, provera 1.5mg conjugated estrogens, medroxyprogesterone acetate
Drug: Estradiol , estriol , progesterone
Estradiol .5mg, estriol 210mg, progesterone 100mg
Drug: estradiol,progesterone
estradiol,progesterone
Drug: estriol, progesterone
estriol 2.5mg, progesterone 100mg
Study Arm (s)
  • Active Comparator: 1
    Prempro, premarin .45mg, provera 1.5mg conjugated estrogens, medroxyprogesterone acetate
  • Experimental: 2
    Estradiol .5mg, estriol 210mg, progesterone 100mg
  • Experimental: 4
    estradiol,progesterone
  • Active Comparator: 3
    estriol 2.5mg, progesterone 100mg

Recruitment Information[ + expand ][ + ]

Recruitment StatusCompleted
Estimated Enrollment40
Estimated Completion DateDecember 2013
Estimated Primary Completion DateDecember 2013
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

- Female

- Ambulatory

- Within 7 years post menopause

- Positive history of menopausal symptoms such as vasomotor symptoms or osteoporosis in
a study subject unable to tolerate bisphosphonates

- FSH greater than 20 mIU/mL

- Intact uterus and at least one intact ovary

- Amenorrhea for 3 months or greater up to 7 years

- Normal pap smear results within 12 months

- Normal mammogram result within 12 months

- Agreeable to a 3 month washout period with no hormones prior to entering the
trial

- Women who have no language barrier, are cooperative, and who can give informed
consent before entering this study

Exclusion Criteria:

- Unwilling to take hormone replacement for the 12 month period

- Evidence of clinically significant psychiatric disorder by history/examination that
would prevent the patient from completing the study.

- Active deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or a history of these conditions

- Active or recent arterial thromboembolic disease

- Undiagnosed vaginal bleeding

- Hypersensitivity to ingredients in Prempro

- Patients with known current bone disorders other than primary osteoporosis

- Patients with pathological fractures

- Patients with suspected or history of carcinoma of the breast or estrogen dependent
neoplasms such as endometrial carcinoma.

- Patients who have ≥ 5mm endometrial thickness by endovaginal (transvaginal)
ultrasound.

- Patients who have impaired renal function evidenced by serum creatinine greater than
2.5 mg/dL.

- Patients who have impaired hepatic function evidenced by transaminase (AST/ALT) ≥2.5X
upper limit

- Patients with severe malabsorption syndromes.

- Patients who consume an excess of alcohol or abuse drugs (an excess of alcohol is
defined as more than four of any one or combination of the following per day: 30 mL
distilled spirits, 340 mL beer, or 120 mL wine).

- Treatment with therapeutic doses of any of the following medications more recently
than 3 months:

- Estrogen

- Calcitonin

- Corticosteroids

- Progestins

- Progesterone

- Lithium

- Androgen

- Heparin

- Herbal menopause treatments

- SERMS

- Fluorides

- Phosphate binding antacids

- Bisphosphonates

- Vitamin D 50,000IU

- Anticonvulsants

- Patients who received any investigational drug within the proceeding month

- Tobacco use will not be allowed
GenderFemale
Ages40 Years
Accepts Healthy VolunteersAccepts Healthy Volunteers
ContactsNot Provided
Location CountriesUnited States

Administrative Information[ + expand ][ + ]

NCT Number NCT00302731
Other Study ID Numbers9941
Has Data Monitoring CommitteeYes
Information Provided ByUniversity of Kansas
Study SponsorJeanne Drisko, MD, CNS, FACN
CollaboratorsPrivate Foundation through KU Endowment
University of Kansas
Investigators Principal Investigator: Jeanne A Drisko, MD University of Kansas
Verification DateJanuary 2014

Locations[ + expand ][ + ]

University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160