TABLE 1.
Randomized, placebo-controlled trials of HRT or ERT on mood in women (1997–2014)
| Author | Population | Intervention | Comparator | Outcome measure | Findings | Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asymptomatic/minimal symptomatic | ||||||
| Almeida et al.[47] | 86 cognitively normal postmenopausal women age 70+ | Oral ERT | Placebo | BDI | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Bech et al.[50] | 105 Danish postmenopausal women within 6 and 24 months of last menses | Oral combined continuous or sequential HRT | Placebo | BDI | BDI scores significantly improved (lowered) in active treatment groups; no change in placebo group scores | Parallel |
| Demetrio et al.[57] | 66 women within 2–10 years of last menses; all without severe hot flushing | Oral ERT | Placebo | BDI, POMS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Gambacciani et al.[53] | 50 Italian postmenopausal women averaging 4.6 years since menopause | Oral HRT | Calcium supplement | WHQ subscale | Significant improvement in 6 of 9 WHQ subscales in active treatment group; no change in placebo group scores | Parallel |
| Girdler et al.[56] | 54 asymptomatic postmenopausal women without significant psychiatric history | Oral ERT or combined continuous HRT | Placebo | BDI, POMS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups on either measure | Parallel |
| Haines et al., 2003[51] | 152 hysterectomized postmenopausal Chinese women | Oral ERT | Placebo | HADS, WHO-QOL | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Hays et al.[61] | 16608 postmenopausal women averaging age 63 | Oral HRT | Placebo | Burnam scale | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups. | Parallel |
| Hlatky et al.[60] | 2246 postmenopausal women with documented coronary artery disease averaging age 67 | Oral HRT | Placebo | Burnam scale | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Karşidağ et al.[59] | 181 Turkish postmenopausal women with severe menopausal symptoms | Oral or trans-dermal HRT | Placebo | HRSD | Significant improvement in HRSD scores in active treatment groups | Parallel |
| Khoo et al.[66] | 83 women presumed to be perimenopausal on bases of age and symptoms | Oral HRT | Placebo | ZSRD | No effect of treatment when order of allocation is ignored | Crossover |
| Nielsen et al.[55] | 335 Danish postmenopausal women | HRT or unopposed intranasal ERT (if hysterectomized) | Placebo | WHQ subscale | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Pearce et al.[52] | 40 women naturally postmenopausal or bilaterally oophorectomized | ERT implant | Placebo | HADS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Pefanco et al.[49] | 57 postmenopausal women averaging age 75.5 | Oral HRT or ERT (if hysterectomized) | Placebo | GDS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Resnick et al.[65] | 1416 WHI participants without probahle dementia averaging age 73.8 at initial assessment | Oral HRT | Placebo | PANAS, GDS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups. | Parallel |
| Resnick et al.[64] | 886 hysterectomized WHI participants without probable dementia averaging age 73.8 at initial assessment | Oral ERT | Placebo | PANAS, GDS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Schiff et al.[46] | 19 cognitively normal postmenopausal women averaging age 71 | Transdermal ERT | Placebo | BASDEC | Improvement of scores in active treatment arm | Crossover |
| Strickler et al.[54] | 373 postmenopausal women averaging age 54.7 | Oral ERT | Placebo, raloxifene | WHQ subscale | No change in depression subscale observed in any group | Parallel |
| Welton et al.[62] | 2130 postmenopausal women averaging age 62.8 | Oral HRT | Placebo | CES-D | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Yamanchili and Gallagher[48] | 412 postmenopausal women averaging age 71 | Oral HRT or ERT (if hysterectomized) | Placebo | GDS | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Depression Joffe et al.[71] | 72 peri- and postmenopausal women with depressive disorders, hot flushing, and sleep disorders | Transdermal ERT | Placebo, zolpidem | MÅDRS, BDI | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Morrison et al.[69] | 57 postmenopausal women diagnosed with depressive disorders (major, minor, dysthymia) | Transdermal ERT + 2 weeks MPA | Placebo | CES-D, HRSD | No difference between active treatment and placebo groups | Parallel |
| Rudolph et al.[70] | 71 postmenopausal women with mild to moderate depressive episodes | Oral HRT | Placebo | HRSD | Significant improvement in HRSD scores in active treatment group | Parallel |
| Schmidt et al.[67] | 31 women meeting diagnostic criteria for perimenopause related depression | Transdermal ERT + 1 week MPA | Placebo | CES-D, HRSD | Significant improvement in CES-D and HRSD scores in active treatment group | First phase parallel; Second phase placebo group crossover |
| Soares et al.[68] | 45 perimenopausal women diagnosed with depressive disorders (major, minor, dysthymia) | Transdermal ERT | Placebo | MÅDRS | Significant improvement in MÅDRS scores in active treatment groups | Parallel |