The spray used to soothe symptoms of menopause can cause symptoms of premature puberty in children and animals exposed to it, reports New Scientist.
Launched in 2007, Evamist, an estrogen-containing spray, is applied to the inner part of the forearm. It is supposed to prevent menopause symptoms such as hot flushes. Its manufacturer claims it is absorbed in a minute, but advises users to wait 30 minutes before letting other people come into contact with the skin on the site.
Since its use, eight cases of breast augmentation have been reported in children – both boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 5 – in children. The symptoms appeared a few weeks or even months after the woman in the child’s environment started using Evamist. The effects of estrogen have been observed even in inadvertently petted domestic animals. However, there was no increased level of estradiol in the blood of men who were in contact with women taking the drug. Side effects of estrogen also include an increased risk of dementia and uterine cancer (PAP).