Effects of oral conjugated equine estrogens with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate on incident hypertension in the Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy trials.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of menopausal hormone therapy on incident hypertension in the two Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy trials and in extended postintervention follow-up.

Methods: A total of 27,347 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years were enrolled at 40 US centers. This analysis includes the subsample of 18,015 women who did not report hypertension at baseline and were not taking antihypertensive medication.

The effect of hormone therapy on mean blood pressure and visit-to-visit blood pressure variability in postmenopausal women: results from the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: Mean and visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure (BP) are associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. We examined the effect of hormone therapy on mean and VVV of BP in postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized controlled trials.

Methods: BP was measured at baseline and annually in the two WHI hormone therapy trials, in which 10 739 and 16 608 postmenopausal women were randomized to conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs, 0.

Quality of life and hypertension after hormone therapy withdrawal in New York City.

Objective: Many women stopped hormone therapy (HT) or estrogen therapy (ET) after the Women's Health Initiative results were published in 2002. This study assessed the incidence of hypertension, weight gain, and dyslipidemia; conditions that predispose to chronic diseases; medication use; and quality of life in women who used HT/ET for at least 5 years and subsequently stopped its use compared with those who continued its use.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted.

Acceptability of home use of mifepristone for medical abortion.

Background: Most medical abortion protocols require women to take mifepristone in the doctor's office. We assessed the acceptability of home use of mifepristone among women and their providers.

Study Design: In this multicenter trial, eligible women requesting termination of early pregnancy (n=301) chose whether to take mifepristone in the office or at home.

Extending outpatient medical abortion services through 70 days of gestational age.

Objective: To estimate the efficacy and acceptability of medical abortion at 64-70 days from last menstrual period (LMP) and to compare it with the already proven 57-63 days from LMP gestational age range.

Methods: This prospective, comparative, open-label trial enrolled 729 women with pregnancies 57-70 days from LMP requesting abortion at six U.S.

Comparison of serum markers for thrombophilia and autoimmune disease in reproductive age women with and without false positive rapid plasma reagin tests.

Problem: The rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) is performed frequently in clinical practice, particularly among reproductive age women. The phenomenon of the biologic false positive RPR is well-recognized, but its clinical significance is poorly characterized. Our objective was to assess the relationship between the false positive RPR and several established clinical and biological markers for thrombophilia and/or autoimmune disease.

Non-physician clinicians can safely provide first trimester medical abortion.

Mid-level clinicians are integral to provision of pregnancy-related care in many settings. Yet midwives and other non-physician clinicians are excluded from training and from providing medical abortion. A substantial body of evidence exists demonstrating that mid-level providers, including nurses and midwives specialized in pregnancy-related care for women, are either already competently involved in providing medical abortions or have the requisite skills to expand their scope of practice to include medical abortion with a short course of additional training.

The transdermal patch and the vaginal ring: two novel methods of combined hormonal contraception.

This article reviews two novel contraceptive methods that have become recently available in the United States: the transdermal patch and the vaginal ring. In general, newer methods of contraception are designed to make adherence easier for patients. The two contraceptive methods discussed in this article may help patients achieve this goal.