Reported Reactions

Drugs › Estrogen

Brand name · Estradiol

Climara: adverse event reports filed with FDA

3,146 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Estrogen.

3,146
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 140 a year
37
reports, 12 months to June 2026
32 in the 12 months before
25.9%
marked serious by the reporter
57.2% across the class
0.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
15 reports · not verified by FDA

3,146 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Climara (estradiol) as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 1,007 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 37 reports listed it, up 16% from 32 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 140 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 2.5% of the reports for the estrogen class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are product adhesion issue (19.9%), hot flush (16.2%) and drug ineffective (8.6%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 372 different terms appear across these reports. Product adhesion issue is recorded in 19.9% of these reports, with no counterpart in the median estrogen drug (0%).

25.9% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (57.2% across the class); 0.5% record death among the outcomes and 3.7% record hospitalisation, as reported. 62.8% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (34.4%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

0714Jul 2021: 8Aug 2021: 7Sep 2021: 5Oct 2021: 7Nov 2021: 5Dec 2021: 12022Jan 2022: 2Feb 2022: 1Mar 2022: 4Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 4Jun 2022: 8Jul 2022: 0Aug 2022: 8Sep 2022: 2Oct 2022: 7Nov 2022: 4Dec 2022: 52023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 2Mar 2023: 5Apr 2023: 5May 2023: 8Jun 2023: 5Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 9Sep 2023: 8Oct 2023: 11Nov 2023: 14Dec 2023: 62024Jan 2024: 3Feb 2024: 2Mar 2024: 3Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 6Jun 2024: 8Jul 2024: 3Aug 2024: 3Sep 2024: 2Oct 2024: 5Nov 2024: 3Dec 2024: 22025Jan 2025: 2Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 3Apr 2025: 3May 2025: 3Jun 2025: 3Jul 2025: 2Aug 2025: 1Sep 2025: 5Oct 2025: 3Nov 2025: 3Dec 2025: 12026Jan 2026: 1Feb 2026: 4Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 2May 2026: 4Jun 2026: 7

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

02725442004: 4420042005: 822006: 892007: 12220072008: 5442009: 2212010: 15120102011: 2912012: 2032013: 15120132014: 1642015: 1802016: 21420162017: 1342018: 612019: 7420192020: 962021: 1032022: 4820222023: 792024: 442025: 2920252026: 22

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Climara reports recording the termmedian drug in estrogen

  1. Hot flusha hot flush16.2%511
  2. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected8.6%271
  3. Breast cancerbreast cancer5.5%174
  4. Application site erythemaredness where the product was applied5.2%164
  5. Product quality issuea problem with the product itself4.2%133
  6. Application site pruritusitching where the product was applied3.9%124
  7. Headachehead pain3.8%121
  8. Rashskin rash3.3%103
  9. Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way2.9%92
  10. Insomniadifficulty sleeping2.6%81
  11. Night sweatssweating at night2.4%76
  12. Anxietyanxiety2.3%72
  13. Nauseafeeling sick1.9%61
  14. Migrainemigraine1.9%59
  15. Product physical issuea physical defect in the product1.9%59
  16. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used1.8%58
  17. Hyperhidrosisexcessive sweating1.8%57
  18. Pruritusitching1.8%57
  19. Depressionlow mood1.8%56
  20. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label1.7%55
  21. Alopeciahair loss1.7%54
  22. Application site reactiona reaction where the product was applied1.7%54
  23. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right1.6%51
  24. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1.4%44

Top 30 of 372 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 25 drugs in the estrogen class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death0.5%15
Life-threatening0.5%15
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)3.7%117
Disability0.7%21
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious23.7%746
Not serious74.1%2,332

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 127,523 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 20.1%3
2 to 110.1%2
12 to 170.3%9
18 to 445.2%163
45 to 6434.4%1,082
65 to 748%253
75 and over2.3%71
Age not given49.7%1,563

Patient sex

Female97.7%3,073
Male1%30
Not given1.4%43

Who reported

Physician5.9%187
Pharmacist11.3%355
Other health professional8%253
Lawyer5.4%171
Consumer or non-health professional62.8%1,977
Not given6.5%203

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 95.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Hormone replacement therapy62820%
Menopausal symptoms2287.2%
Hot flush1575%
Menopause1083.4%
Hysterectomy481.5%
Oestrogen replacement therapy210.7%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 3,146 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Climara reports
Premarin38112.1%
Prempro31610%
Estrace2066.5%
Estradiol1605.1%
Medroxyprogesterone1173.7%
Medroxyprogesterone acetate943%
Vagifem933%
Synthroid802.5%
Progesterone732.3%
CombiPatch (estradiol/norethindrone acetate transdermal system)431.4%

Other products listed in reports where Climara is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureClimaraEstrogenAll reports
Reports as suspect product3,146127,52320,646,523
Share of that pool—2.5%0%
Reports, latest 12 months37—1,332,454
Marked serious25.9%57.2%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports51791
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports37105213
Consumer-filed share62.8%49%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsProduct adhesion issue 19.9%median 0%0.2%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the estrogen class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Premarinbrand34,40115877.8%
Premprobrand19,8323690.4%
Nuvaringbrand18,6435549.2%
Estradiolgeneric15,4792,77743%
Estradiol Transdermal Systembrand5,9891,3083.2%
Estracebrand4,6492558.9%
Estringbrand3,81311530.5%
CombiPatch (estradiol/norethindrone acetate transdermal system)brand3,60838419.5%
Minivellebrand2,823334%
Climara Probrand1,94911511%
Xulanebrand1,5376510.3%
Vivelle-Dotbrand1,4886232.1%
EstroGelbrand1,3129474.9%
Conjugated estrogensgeneric1,1671298.7%
Twirlabrand1,014962.1%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Climara reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Climara?

3,146 reports list Climara as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 37 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,007 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Climara reports?

product adhesion issue (19.9%), hot flush (16.2%), drug ineffective (8.6%), application site rash (7.9%) and breast cancer female (6.7%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Climara was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

25.9% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 0.5% of reports include death and 3.7% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (62.8%), pharmacist (11.3%) and other health professional (8%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Climara rising?

37 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 16% from 32 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Climara was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Climara?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Climara as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,007) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.