Hormone Therapy May be Linked to Increased Risk for Gallstones

The March 18, 2013 Canadian Medical Association journal published an article article about menopausal hormone therapy and the risk of gallstones. Previous studies conducted in the United States and UK have reported an increased risk of cholecystectomy in women exposed to hormone replacement therapy, but with significant differences between types of hormone treatments. This study determined the risk of cholecystectomy associated with different types of postmenopausal hormone therapy. During 1992-2008, 70,928 menopausal women were questioned regarding their use of postmenopausal hormone therapy, medical history and lifestyle features. 64.8% or 45,984 of the women were treated with hormone therapy and 2819 cholecystectomies were documented. The risk of cholecystectomy was found to be higher amongst women who were exposed to oral estrogen therapy, particularly oral treatments without any progestogen. This study concluded that over 5 years approximately 1 cholecystectomy per 150 women