Does hormone replacement therapy have beneficial effects on renal functions in menopausal women?

Background: The study was carried out to evaluate the possible effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on renal functions in postmenopausal women.
Methods: A total of 85 postmenopausal women without a history of medical illness were enrolled in the study. They were divided into HRT users and control groups. After 30 weeks of HRT use, the changes in serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, urinary protein, urinary creatinine, urinary protein/creatinine ratio and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were evaluated.
Results: HRT was associated with statistically significant increases in glomerular filtration rate (p < 0.01), while serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, urinary protein, urinary creatinine and urinary protein/creatinine ratio did not change significantly in both groups.
Conclusion: In our study, we suggested that usage of hormone replacement therapy appeared to affect renal functions in postmenopausal women. There were beneficial effects of HRT on GFR in our postmenopausal patients. HRT may have possible protective mechanisms for kidney against adverse effects of aging.