Hormone replacement therapy increases isometric muscle strength of adductor pollicis in post-menopausal women

Abstract

A randomized open trial of hormone replacement therapy was used to assess changes in adductor pollicis muscle strength during 6-12 months of treatment with Prempak C 0.625(R) in comparison with an untreated control group. Muscle strength (maximal voluntary force; MVF), muscle cross-sectional area and bone mineral density were measured. Women entering the trial had oestrogen levels below 150 pmol.l-1, confirming their post-menopausal hormonal status. In the treated group, MVF increased by 12.4+/-1.0% (mean+/-S.E.M.) of initial MVF over the duration of treatment, while it declined slightly (2.9+/-0.9%) in the control group. This increase in strength could not be explained by an increase in muscle bulk, there being no significant increase in cross-sectional area during the study. Those subjects who were weakest at enrolment showed the greatest increases in muscle strength after treatment. Bone mineral density in total hip, Ward's triangle and total spine increased in the treated group, in agreement with previous studies. There was no correlation between the individual increases in bone mineral density and those in MVF.

Does oral contraceptive use affect maximum force production in women?

“…7 Despite seven pill free days, endogenous concentrations of oestradiol and progesterone did not fluctuate. As all subjects experienced menstruation during their seven pill free days, it would appear that endogenous levels of oestradiol and progesterone did change, although not significantly (p.0.05).…”

“…Several researchers have noted that adverse changes in specific muscle strength occur around the onset of menopause in women. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] However, it is difficult to conclude a sex hormone dependent loss in strength using the model of menopause, as it is difficult to control for other age related factors that may affect muscle strength.…”

Aromatase inhibitor-induced bone loss increases the progression of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer in bone and exacerbates muscle weakness in vivo

“…Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs; e.g., tamoxifen), which interact with the ER and inhibit its activity in breast tissue while preserving bone have also associated with muscle weakness [15], suggesting that inhibition of ER signaling in muscle impacts muscle contractility in the absence of high bone turnover. Furthermore, muscle weakness associated with declining estrogen levels during menopause in healthy women can be rescued by hormone replacement therapy [41–43], providing further proof that ER signaling blockade contributes to muscle weakness in the AI-treated patient. Relevant non-tumor models and in vitro studies will be useful in determining the relative role of bone loss, ER signaling blockade, and potential direct drug toxicities on muscle function following AI and SERM therapy.…”

Sex Differences in the Association between Serum Levels of Testosterone and Frailty in an Elderly Population: The Toledo Study for Healthy Aging

“…Moreover, if testosterone plays a crucial role in men health, estrogens are the most important sex-hormones in women. Considering that the main source of estradiol in post-menopausal women comes from the conversion of testosterone by aromatase in adipose tissue, and that estrogen therapy and endogenous estrogen have been suggested to respectively have a positive effect on muscle strength [30], [31] and on bone mineral density [32], we can hypothesized that estradiol may play a substantial role in the relation between FT and frailty in women. Our results regarding the interaction between FT and obesity in women but not in men reinforce this hypothesis as they suggest a more important role of the estrogenic climate in women than men.…”