FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved new estrogen-based skin lotion to treat hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause.
Estrasorb, manufactured by Novavax, should only be applied to the legs, thighs or calves, the agency says. The product is absorbed through the skin into the blood stream, and therefore should not be used with sunscreens, which may limit the medicine's effects.
The FDA says the product will contain the same warning labels as other forms of menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Earlier this year, the government began warning women and their doctors that such therapies containing estrogen and progestin may be associated with increased risks of heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer.
The agency recommends that Estrasorb and similar products "be used in the lowest dose and for the least duration required to provide relief." Users are strongly urged to discuss the benefits and risks of these medications with their doctors.
Here is the FDA Talk Paper about Estrasorb. To learn more about the pros and cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy, visit the National Cancer Institute.
