Women take tibolone to alleviate menopausal symptoms and prevent osteoporosis. Ninety countries approve of the use of tibolone to alleviate menopausal symptoms and 55 countries prescribe it as an osteoporosis treatment, according to information from Drugs.com. The United States has not approved the use of tibolone for any health condition. The Netherlands approved the drug as a treatment for menopausal symptoms in 2011.
Tibolone
Women in many countries, including Germany, Australia and Spain, take tibolone, a synthetic steroid. Tibolone protects your bones, alleviates hot flashes and helps with vaginal dryness, according to information from Harvard Health Publications and an article from Kloosterboer Consultancy and Constructions in the Netherlands published in the September 2011 issue of the journal “Climacteric.” In 2006, the FDA denied approval for this medication as a treatment for menopausal symptoms.
Breast Cancer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture put a stop to tibolone clinical trials because it may increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to information from Drugs.com. In a study done by the VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands, researchers gave tibolone or placebo to more than 3,000 women post breast cancer surgery. The results, published in the February 2009 issue of the “Lancet Oncology,” show the tibolone group had a 15.2 percent chance of cancer recurrence and the placebo group only 10.7 percent.
Soy
Soy can help prevent the increase in bad cholesterol associated with taking tibolone, according to a study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine published in the 2009 issue of the journal "Maturitas." In the study, postmenopausal women taking tibolone took either 52 g of soy protein with 112 mg of isoflavones or placebo every day for eight weeks. The soy treatment group had significant decreases in bad cholesterol levels compared to placebo.
Bone Loss Prevention
Tibolone prevents bone loss from osteoporosis, according to a clinical trial published in the August 2008 issue of the “New England Journal of Medicine." To maintain strong bones you need a sufficient amount of calcium and vitamin D, along with weight-bearing exercise. More than 4,500 women between 60 and 85 with bone loss took 1.25 mg of tibolone once per day or placebo for about 34 months. The tibolone group had a decreased risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fracture as well as breast and colon cancer, but an increase in the risk for stroke.
References
- Drugs.com: Tibolone
- Maturitas: Soy-Tibolone Combination - Effect on Lipids in Postmenopausal Monkeys and Women
- New England Journal of Medicine: The Effects of Tibolone in Older Postmenopausal Women
- Harvard Health Publications: What’s the Latest on Tibolone, the Estrogen Alternative?
- Climacteric: Historical Milestones in the Development of Tibolone Livial
- Drugs.com: Menopause Drug Tied to Breast Cancer Recurrence
