Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs)
or Estrogen Receptor Agonists/Antagonists (ERAAs)
What the Clinician Should Know
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) is pleased to present this outstanding educational content, encompassing several components, for clinicians who treat midlife women and who have questions about the benefits and risks of SERMs for their patients.
Learning Objectives
Background and Mechanisms
- Define the general characteristics of SERMs
- Discuss the differences in biologic effects of SERMs in different target tissues
Clinical Data—FDA-approved SERMs
- Understand that SERMs have varying agonist and antagonist activities at the level of the estrogen receptor (ER) in target tissues
- Differentiate among the FDA-approved SERMs (ERAAs) in their clinical usefulness to prevent and treat breast cancer, osteoporosis, and dyspareunia
- Recognize that targeted agonist effects of SERMs are hot flashes, lipids, bone, vagina, and brain, whereas antagonist SERM effects are desired in breast and endometrium
Clinical Data—TSECs (tissue-selective estrogen complexes)
- Define TSEC as a unique combination of an estrogen paired with a SERM to provide specific targeted effects for menopausal women
- Describe the clinical effects seen with the TSEC conjugated estrogens/bazedoxifene on vasomotor symptoms, sleep, bone, vagina, endometrium, and breast
- Differentiate on basis of bleeding and breast tenderness between new TSEC conjugated estrogens/bazedoxifene compared with traditional estrogen and progesterone hormone therapy
Clinical Scenarios and Prevention
- To understand the efficacy profile of individual SERMs
- To select specific SERMs for multiple menopause complaints
SERM Slides
View a comprehensive presentation of 46 slides, including Key Concepts and Dive Deeper notes.
View Slides
Discussion About SERMs With the Experts
This informative video is hosted by NAMS Board of Trustees Member and President-Elect Dr. Marla Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro is also the medical consultant for CTV News and on-air medical contributor to Canada AM. In this video, Dr. Shapiro interviews Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, NAMS Executive Director and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of Midlife Health at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, about how clinicians can use SERMs to help their patients.
References
To find out more about SERMs, NAMS has provided a comprehensive list of references on the topic of SERMs (ERAAs).
Reference List
Test Your SERM Knowledge
To take a short (non-CME) 14-question self-assessment quiz, click here.