Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38236381›Full record

SynthesisHormones (Athens, Greece)2024

Antiosteoporosis therapy after discontinuation of menopausal hormone therapy: a systematic review.

Panagiotis Anagnostis, Efstathios Divaris, Julia Κ Bosdou, Symeon Tournis, Konstantinos Stathopoulos, Dimitrios G Goulis

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Hormones (Athens, Greece), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Hormone therapy (HT) in women with premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause: Time to think of a new paradigm for healthy aging. A joint FIGO and IMS position paper.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Article
  2. Bone Health for Gynaecologists.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Review
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.

Panagiotis AnagnostisUnit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. anagnwstis.pan@yahoo.gr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8949-4312
Efstathios DivarisUnit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Julia Κ BosdouUnit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Symeon TournisLaboratory for the Research of Musculoskeletal System "Th. Garofalidis," School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, KAT General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos StathopoulosSchool of Medicine, Post Graduate Course on Bone Metabolic Diseases, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, 11527, Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios G GoulisUnit of Reproductive Endocrinology, 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveMenopausal hormone therapy (MHT) has consistently shown a bone protective effect by reducing the risk of vertebral, non-vertebral, and hip fractures in postmenopausal women regardless of baseline fracture risk. However, the optimal sequential treatment after MHT discontinuation has not been determined. This systematic review aimed to obtain the best evidence regarding the effect of antiresorptive or osteoanabolic treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) and/or fracture risk following MHT.

methodsA comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases up to October 31, 2023. Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies conducted in postmenopausal women were included.

resultsAfter the exclusion of duplicates, 717 studies were identified. Two were eligible for qualitative analysis, one RCT and one retrospective cohort study. The RCT showed that alendronate 10 mg/day for 12 months further increased lumbar spine (LS) BMD by 2.3% following MHT and maintained femoral neck (FN) BMD in postmenopausal women (n = 144). It also decreased bone anabolic and resorption markers by 47 and 36%, respectively. In the retrospective study (n = 34), raloxifene 60 mg/day increased both LS and FN BMD at 12 months by 3 and 2.9%, respectively. No fractures were reported.

conclusionsAntiresorptive therapy with either a bisphosphonate (i.e., alendronate) or raloxifene could be considered a sequential antiosteoporosis therapy after MHT withdrawal since they have been shown in studies to further increase BMD. However, no safe conclusions can be drawn from the existing literature.

Indexed as

Bone DensityBone Density Conservation AgentsOsteoporosis, PostmenopausalEstrogen Replacement TherapyFemaleHumansBone Density Conservation AgentsAlendronateBisphosphonatesEstrogenMenopausal hormone therapyPostmenopausal womenRaloxifene

Identifiers

PMID38236381
PMCPMC11219436

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.