Vaginal Estrogen and Stroke Risk: Time to Ditch FDA Warning?

Older women using vaginal estrogen tablets do not face an increased risk for recurrent ischemic stroke, a finding that adds to growing calls for removal of the FDA boxed warning on these products.

“Existing research shows no increased risk of stroke associated with use of vaginal estrogen in healthy women, but none had addressed the risk in women with prior ischemic stroke. Our study fills that gap by extending the evidence to a high-risk group,” study investigator Kimia Ghias Haddadan, MD, Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, told Medscape Medical News .

“Our findings are reassuring for both clinicians and patients, as it suggests that women with prior stroke may safely use vaginal estradiol tablets,” Haddadan added.

The study was publishe