Can the estrogens that women take “after menopause” cause an early abortion?
Often women are started on estrogen replacement near the time of menopause. This usually has a beneficial effect of reducing the risk of osteoporosis, which increasing the risk of uterine and breast cancer. Unfortunately, many women are now starting estrogen replacement before they have completely stopped ovulating. That is, they are not always in true menopause but are still having occasional cycles (perimenopausal). If a woman were to start estrogen at a time when she was having an occasional cycle, she could still conceive and have an early abortion. This is something to be aware of, and women who wish to avoid this effect should not start hormonal replacement therapy until they have not had a cycle for a one-year period. Why was the term “contraceptive” place in quotations when referring to the various artificial hormones? Oral contraceptives, Norplant, Depo-Provera, the IUD, the “Morning After Pill,” and the “post-rape pill” all work by causing an early abortion at least part of t
