Apart from commonly reported complications for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a new study links the treatment with a high risk of asthma in postmenopausal women.

Previous studies had reported asthma to be more common in young women after the initiation of menstruation, pointing out a possible link between female hormones and asthma.

These studies also revealed varied severity of asthma throughout the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy, stressing that the condition is less frequent after menopause.

According to the study published in Thorax, receiving HRT increases the risk of developing asthma among postmenopausal women by 21 percent. The risk, however, was most significant in those using estrogen alone.

"There is now a large body of evidence suggesting a link between female hormones, including the use of HRT, the development of asthma and its severity," said lead researcher Leanne Metcalf.

HRT had long been linked to ovarian, colon and breast malignancies, strokes and many other health problems in women.

PKH/HGH

Originally published in Press TV