Uncoupling of bone formation and resorption by combined oestrogen and progestagen therapy in postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abstract

10 healthy early postmenopausal women were treated with oestrogen and progestagen for two cycles of 28 days. Serum alkaline phosphatase and bone Gla protein increased during progestagen administration, whereas urinary excretion of calcium and hydroxyproline fell significantly during treatment, independently of progestagen intake. Thus, bone formation increases when progestagen is added to oestrogen treatment, whereas bone resorption may be kept constantly low during oestrogen plus progestagen treatment, leading to a positive calcium balance. This makes possible effective treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis--treatment of elderly postmenopausal women with substantial bone loss before their bones have fractured or when they have just started to fracture. This study design can be used for easy and rapid screening of potential drugs for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal bone loss.