Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33312219›Full record

ReviewDrugs in context2020

Progestogens as a component of menopausal hormone therapy: the right molecule makes the difference.

John C Stevenson, Serge Rozenberg, Silvia Maffei, Christian Egarter, Petra Stute, Thomas Römer

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Drugs in context, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Women's cardiovascular health in 2025:Saudi medical journal · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

John C StevensonNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
Serge RozenbergDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU St Pierre, Laboratoire de santé génésique Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
Silvia MaffeiCardiovascular Gynecological Endocrinology Unit, Cardiovascular Endocrinology and Metabolism Department, Italian National Research Council - Regione Toscana 'G. Monasterio Foundation', Pisa, Italy.
Christian EgarterDepartment of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Petra StuteDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Women's Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Thomas RömerDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Evangelisches Klinikum Weyertal gGmbH, Academic Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany.
Imperial College London · GBMedical University of Vienna · ATUniversity Children’s Hospital Bern · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Optimizing menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) requires an awareness of the benefits and risks associated with the available treatments. This narrative review, which is based on the proceedings of an Advisory Board meeting and supplemented by relevant articles identified in literature searches, examines the role of progestogens in MHT, with the aim of providing practical recommendations for prescribing physicians. Progestogens are an essential component of MHT in menopausal women with a uterus to prevent endometrial hyperplasia and reduce the risk of cancer associated with using unopposed estrogen. Progestogens include natural progesterone, dydrogesterone (a stereoisomer of progesterone), and a range of synthetic compounds. Structural differences and varying affinities for other steroid receptors (androgen, glucocorticoid, and mineralocorticoid) confer a unique biological and clinical profile to each progestogen that must be considered during treatment selection. MHT, including the progestogen component, should be tailored to each woman, starting with an estrogen and a progestogen that has the safest profile with respect to breast cancer and cardiovascular effects, while addressing patient-specific needs, risk factors, and treatment goals. Micronized progesterone and dydrogesterone appear to be the safest options, with lower associated cardiovascular, thromboembolic, and breast cancer risks compared with other progestogens, and are the first-choice options for use in 'special situations,' such as in women with high-density breast tissue, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and risk factors for venous thromboembolism, among others.

Indexed as

menopausal hormone therapyprogesteroneprogestogen

Identifiers

PMID33312219
PMCPMC7716720
OpenAlexW3110469444

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.