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Estrogen Timeline (1970s - 1980s)

 
 
 1970s Early
1970s
Studies show a lower risk of cardiovascular disease with OCs containing less than 50 mcg ethinyl estradiol compared to those containing more than 50 mcg ethinyl estradiol (15,16,17). High-dose OC use begins to decline, while the number of prescriptions for lower-dose pills increases.

1975
Studies reveal an increased incidence of endometrial cancer among women using unopposed estrogens (18,19).

1976
The Nurses' Health Study is initiated with 121,700 registered nurses, 30-55 years of age, to evaluate the effects of menopausal estrogen use on cardiovascular disease, cancers, mortality and other disease processes.

1977
A registry is formed to collect information regarding the use of DES, the subsequent development of genital tract lesions in newborns, and gynecologic cancers in young women exposed to the drug in utero. The FDA states, "there is no proper use of estrogen in pregnant women" (9).
 1980s 1980
Weiss shows a 60 percent reduced risk of hip and wrist fractures in women taking ERT (20).

Early
1980s
Studies show that the risk of endometrial cancer in women who have a uterus and take estrogen replacement can be reduced below that of nonusers by adding a cyclic or continuous progestin to their treatment (21,22,23,24).

The first published epidemiologic reports of reduced cardiovascular risk with the use of postmenopausal estrogen begin to appear (25,26,27).

Robert Lindsay reports results from a controlled trial showing that doses of Premarin as low as 0.625 mg inhibit postmenopausal bone loss (28).

Late
1980s
Transdermal estrogens are introduced into the U.S. market.

Premarin receives a prevention of osteoporosis indication. Postmenopausal estrogen use increases. Premarin 0.625 mg becomes the most commonly prescribed dose (29).

Multiple observational studies evaluating the effect of postmenopausal estrogens and the potential increased risk of breast cancer are reported with no definitive conclusions.

Studies demonstrate the noncontraceptive health benefits of OCs (30).


 

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