This paper reviewed the safety of hormones administered by non-oral routes for the clinical management of post-menopausal women. After reviewing research, the authors concluded that non-oral administration of estrogens minimised the hepatic induction of clotting factors and other proteins which are associated with the first-pass effect. Non-oral estrogens were also associated with cardiovascular benefits; for example, the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary thromboembolism was found to be negligible. In addition to these findings, the review found evidence to show that natural progesterone displays a favourable action on vasculature and the brain when compared to synthetic progestins.
