Association of hormone preparations with bone mineral density, osteopenia, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the associations of hormone preparations with lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD), osteopenia, and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, and whether these impacts persisted after hormone preparations were discontinued.

METHODS: A total of 6,031 postmenopausal women were enrolled and divided into seven groups based on the types of hormone preparations. Among them, 1,996 participants were further divided into a current users (CU) group and a past users (PU) group. Multivariable linear regression models or logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of hormone preparation with lumbar spine BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis.

RESULTS: Combined oral contraceptive pills, estrogen-only pills, estrogen/progestin combo pills, estrogen-only patches, or the use of more than two kinds of hormone preparations were positively associated with lumbar spine BMD (all P < 0.05). Except for estrogen-only patches, other hormone preparations also had a protective effect against osteopenia (all OR < 1, all P < 0.05), but none of them were associated with osteoporosis prevalence (all P > 0.05). The BMD increased by 0.10 and 0.04 g/cm2 in the CU and PU groups, respectively, compared with the nonusers group (all P < 0.05). In both the CU and PU groups, the risk of osteopenia was reduced (OR, 0.34 and 0.57, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Hormone preparations increase lumbar spine BMD in postmenopausal women and exert a protective effect against osteopenia. These impacts persisted after hormone preparations were discontinued. Hormone preparations, however, were not associated with osteoporosis prevalence.