Estrogen raises the risk of cancer of the uterus lining. Estrogen, with or without a progestin, should not be used to prevent heart disease or dementia. In the Women's Health Initiative, estrogen alone raised the risk of stroke and blood clots in the legs, and estrogen with a progestin raised the risk of heart attack, stroke, invasive breast cancer, and blood clots in the lungs and legs. The vaginal cream carries the same boxed warning as estrogen tablets, and some estrogen can be absorbed into the blood.
Tell your care team straight away if you get any unusual vaginal bleeding, chest pain or shortness of breath, pain or swelling in a leg, sudden vision loss or change, a sudden severe headache or weakness on one side, yellowing of your skin or eyes, or swelling of your face, lips or throat.
Common side effects
- burning or irritation of the vulva or vagina
- changes in vaginal discharge
- genital itching
- breast tenderness
- headache
- nausea
- bloating
- mood changes
Rare but serious
- cancer of the uterus lining
- breast cancer
- ovarian cancer
- stroke and heart attack
- blood clots in the legs or lungs
- gallbladder disease needing surgery
- probable dementia in women aged 65 and over
Do not take this if you have unexplained vaginal bleeding, you have or have had breast cancer or another estrogen-dependent cancer, you have had a blood clot in a leg or lung, you have had a stroke or heart attack, you have liver disease, you have a protein C, protein S or antithrombin deficiency, or you are or may be pregnant.
This is not a complete list of side effects. Message your care team about any symptom that worries you.
