HRT linked to hearing loss

Menopause (2017). doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000878

Older age at menopause and postmenopausal hormone therapy may increase the risk of hearing loss, according to US researchers who analysed 80 972 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study II.

During the 1 410 928 person-years of follow-up, 18 558 women developed hearing loss. After adjusting for confounders, women who underwent natural menopause at 50 years of age or older were 10% more likely to develop hearing loss compared to those who underwent the menopause before the age of 50 years.

Compared with women who never used hormone therapy and after adjusting for confounders, using hormone therapy for 1 to 1.9 years and 2 to 4.9 years increased the risk of hearing loss by 10% and 8% respectively. The risk of hearing loss increased to 15% and 21% in those who used hormone therapy for 5 to 9.9 years and 10 years or more respectively.