Hormone Therapy Can Help Fight Decline In Lung Functioning- Says Research

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Few women resort to Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during their menopause. This helps them to get rid of the common symptoms of menopause.

But a new research has found that the HRT also helps slow the decline in lung function in middle-aged women.

The decline in lung function can lead to shortness of breath and fatigue , especially among women suffering from airway diseases.

The study pointed out that as the women attains their menopause the estrogen and progesterone level fall. This in turn accelerates the decline in lung function.

For the study, which was presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy, the researchers had taken into consideration 3,713 women for approximately 20 years from the early 1990s to 2010.

Women who took HRT, where these hormones are prescribed for two or more years lost an average of 46 ml less of lung volume compared with women who never took HRT.

"Our findings show that female sex hormones are important for the preservation of lung function in middle-aged women," Kai Triebner, post-doctoral student at the University of Bergen in Norway.

On the contrary, while HRT can help with menopausal symptoms and protects against osteoporosis, it has also been linked with an increase in the risk of breast cancer and heart and blood vessel problems.