Introduction: The history of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) use has evolved over the years based on the influence of many factors, including availability and safety related to formulation and route of estrogen products. Given unexpected findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) in the early 2000’s that used oral conjugated equine estrogen, the desire for and research supporting transdermal estradiol products grew. Transdermal estrogen is now a popular and commonly used formulation for treating menopausal symptoms. Many FDA approved products are available and preferred to custom compounded bioidentical products given superior consistency and safety standards.

Areas covered: This review explores the history of transdermal estrogen products, as well as their pharmacodynamics. It also includes a detailed exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of different estrogen formulations with a focus on clinically useful information.

Expert opinion: FDA approved transdermal estradiol products are the preferred formulation and route for HT, along with a progestogen for women with a uterus, given their efficacy and superior safety profile.

简介：在许多因素的影响下，更年期激素疗法（HT）的使用历史已发展多年，包括与雌激素产品的配方和途径有关的可用性和安全性。鉴于2000年代早期妇女健康计划（WHI）使用口服共轭马雌激素的意外发现，人们对支持透皮雌二醇产品的需求和研究不断增长。现在，经皮雌激素是治疗更年期症状的流行且常用的制剂。由于具有卓越的一致性和安全性标准，许多FDA批准的产品都可以买到，并且比定制的复合生物相同产品更受欢迎。

涵盖领域：本综述探讨了透皮雌激素产品的历史及其药效学。它还包括对不同雌激素制剂的优缺点的详细探讨，重点是临床有用信息。

专家意见：鉴于其功效和优越的安全性，经FDA批准的透皮雌二醇产品是HT的首选配方和途径，同时也是子宫女性的孕激素。