Could menopause hormones unfreeze stiff shoulders?
NCT ID NCT07278323
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to standard care helps relieve frozen shoulder in women around menopause. Sixty participants will receive either HRT plus usual treatment or usual treatment alone for six months. Researchers will measure shoulder pain, function, and range of motion to see if HRT provides extra benefit.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Hormone replacement therapy (estradiol patch and oral progestin)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to ease frozen shoulder pain and stiffness in women going through menopause.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 60 participants. The added benefit of HRT over standard care alone may be small or absent, and HRT carries known risks like blood clots and hormone-sensitive cancers.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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40 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder Exclusion Criteria: * History of hormone sensitive cancer * Bilateral adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder * Currently using hormonal treatments including contraceptives
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UCSF Orthopaedic Institute
RECRUITINGSan Francisco, California, 94158, United States
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