Table Info

Table 1.

HRT recommendations based on cardiovascular risk levels

Cardiovascular risk category	Recommended routes	Clinical considerations
Low cardiovascular risk	Oral or transdermal HRT	Preference for transdermal formulations to minimize thromboembolic complications [3, 12, 27]
Moderate cardiovascular risk (e.g., hypertension, obesity, mild atherosclerosis)	Transdermal estrogen ≤ 50 mcg	Associated with lower stroke and VTE risks compared to oral options [7, 12, 13, 29]
High cardiovascular risk (established CVD, history of stroke, uncontrolled hypertension)	Avoid HRT, consider non-hormonal therapies	HRT is contraindicated due to increased cardiovascular risks [27, 30]. Vaginal estrogen or non-hormonal options should be considered [3, 12, 29]

CVD: Cardiovascular diseases; HRT: Hormonal replacement therapy; VTE: venous thromboembolism

Declarations

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Fatima M.A. Odhaib for her artistic contribution of Figure 1.

Author contributions

BAAS and SAO: Conceptualization, Investigation, Validation, Writing—original draft, and Writing—review & editing. Both authors read and approved the submitted version.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

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Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

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Funding

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Copyright

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