SGLT2 Inhibitors and Risk of Postmenopausal Bleeding in Women: An Active‐Comparator, New‐User Cohort Study
AIMS: A recent case report and pharmacovigilance reports have suggested a possible association between sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and postmenopausal bleeding (PMB), but population-level evidence is lacking. We evaluated the risk of PMB among women aged 55-90 years initiating SGLT2 inhibitors versus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an active-comparator, new-user cohort study using data from the All of Us Research Program. Women aged 55-90 years who newly initiated either an SGLT2 inhibitor or a DPP-4 inhibitor were included. The primary outcome was the first recorded PMB during follow-up. Propensity score (PS) matching, with exact matching on calendar period, was used to control for confounding. Hazard ratios (HRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox and Poisson regression models. RESULTS: Among 2603 women, 1328 initiated SGLT2 inhibitors and 1275 initiated DPP-4 inhibitors. After 1:1 PS matching, 650 pairs achieved good covariate balance. In the matched cohort, 37 and 34 PMB events occurred over 2248.2 and 2374.2 person-years, respectively. SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was not associated with increased PMB risk (HR 1.14, 95% CI 0.70-1.84; IRR 1.15, 95% CI 0.71-1.87). Sensitivity analyses were consistent with the primary findings. CONCLUSIONS: SGLT2 inhibitor initiation was not associated with a significantly increased PMB risk compared with DPP-4 inhibitor initiation. These findings did not provide evidence of increased PMB risk with SGLT2 inhibitor therapy, although wide confidence intervals and limited outcome events warrant confirmation in larger studies.
Authors
- Sandy Jeong Rhie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2554-3370)
- Susan J. Lewis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9876-2948)
- Jung Yoon Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8758-3074)
- Sung Yun Suh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7702-1799)
- Hee Min Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0188-6960)
Institutions
- University of Findlay (US)
- Ewha Womans University (KR)
- St. Anne Mercy Hospital (US)
- Mercy Health (US)
- Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism
- Published
- 2026-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.71458
- Primary Topic
- Diabetes Treatment and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea