Menostar

Menostar is a medication licensed to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It contains a low dose of estrogen that helps to prevent menopause-related bone changes. The drug, which is available by prescription only, comes as a patch that is applied to the skin of the lower abdomen once a week. Side effects that have been reported with Menostar include joint pain, cervical polyps, and milky white vaginal discharge.

Menostar Patch Information

What Is Menostar?

Menostar^® (estradiol patch) is a prescription hormone replacement medication approved to help prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It comes as a patch that is applied to the skin once a week. Menostar contains a very low dose of estrogen, designed to help prevent bone loss.

(Click Menostar Uses for more information on what the drug is used for, including possible off-label uses.)

Who Makes Menostar?

Menostar is made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

How Does Menostar Work?

Menostar contains estradiol, an estrogen hormone. Estradiol is the predominant estrogen in premenopausal women. Because estrogen helps to keep the bones strong, the decrease in estrogen during menopause causes a significant weakening of the bones, often resulting in osteoporosis. By providing estrogen, Menostar can help prevent these menopause-related bone changes.

Menostar contains a low dose of estrogen, lower than estrogen medications used to treat menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. It is thought that the low dose of estrogen in Menostar carries a lower risk for estrogen side effects, compared to the higher doses used in other hormone replacement therapy medications.

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