NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women on hormone treatment for fibroids may experience mental side effects, but this problem can be eased by taking tibolone at the same time, a study shows.

Uterine fibroids can be effectively treated with an estrogen-lowering hormone GnRh, such as leuprolide. However, the drop in estrogen level can have deleterious effects on cognition and mood in premenopausal women, the study team notes in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.

The synthetic hormone tibolone, widely used to treat menopausal symptoms, has weak estrogen-like properties. For women being treated with GnRH, tibolone reverses the drop in cognitive function caused by GnRH treatment "and improves mood and quality of life," study leader Dr. Stefano Palomba from the University of Catanzaro, Italy, told Reuters Health.

In the study, 110 premenopausal women being treated for fibroids with the GnRH drug leuprolide every 3 months were randomly assigned to take tibolone or an inactive placebo daily.

After 6 months of treatment, cognitive performance scores did not decline in the group given tibolone, whereas a significant worsening of cognitive scores was noted in the placebo group, the investigators report.

Mood and quality of life were significantly improved in both groups following treatment, but the improvement was higher in the tibolone group than in the placebo group.

Meanwhile, fibroid-related symptoms were reduced to a similar degree in both groups after 6 months of treatment.

The researchers conclude that tibolone confers "significant benefits" in terms of preventing alterations in cognitive function and improving mood and quality of life, without diminishing the effectiveness of fibroid treatment.

SOURCE: Fertility and Sterility, July 2008.

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