Hormone Replacement Therapy

Introduction

Hormone Replacement Therapy? Previously they were used to treat postmenopausal symptoms and protect long-term health. Extensive clinical trials have shown health risks. What does that mean to you?

Hormone replacement therapy is a drug containing female hormones. When you take medicine, it replaces estrogen, which your body stops producing during menopause.

Hormone therapy is usually used to treat menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal pain. Hormone therapy also prevents bone loss and reduces fractures in postmenopausal women.

What are the Basic Types of Hormone Therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy focuses primarily on compensating for estrogen deficiency that your body no longer produces after menstruation. There are two key kinds of estrogen therapy:

Total hormone therapy (per body). Natural estrogen (per body), which comes in tablets, skin paste, ring, gel, cream or spray, usually contains a higher dose of estrogen absorbed throughout the body.

Low-dose vaginal products. Low-dose vaginal preparations from estrogen, which come in the form of a cream, tablet or ring, reduce the amount of estrogen absorbed by the body. For this reason, low-dose vaginal preparations are usually used only to treat vaginal and ingestive symptoms of menopause.

What are the Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy?

The primary clinical trial of its kind to date has found that hormone replacement therapy containing estrogen and progestin pills (Prempro) has increased the risk of developing some serious problems such as:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Blood clots
• Breast cancer

The subsequent studies indicated that these risks vary based on:

Lifetime. Women who have started hormone therapy at 60, over, or more than ten years after menopause are more likely to develop the above conditions. But the benefits are riskier if hormone therapy introduces before age 60 or within ten years of menopause.

Type of hormone therapy. The risk of hormone therapy varies depending on whether estrogen is given alone or with progestin, dosage and type of estrogen.

Health record. Your family’s health record, personal health record, and the potential for cancer, heart disease, stroke, blood clots, liver disease and osteoporosis are essential in determining whether hormone replacement therapy is right for you.

All these risks you should take into an explanation by the patient and doctor when deciding whether hormone therapy is a possible option.

Who can benefit from Hormone Replacement Therapy?

The benefits of hormone therapy may outweigh its risks if you are healthy and apply it to the following conditions:

You have heat donations ranging from moderate to severe. Comprehensive estrogen treatment remains the most effective method for relieving night sweats and erythrocytic heat.
You have other symptoms of menopause. Estrogen can relieve vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dehydration, itching, burning and pain during intercourse.

It would help if you prevented bone loss or fractures. Total estrogen (for each body) helps protect against osteoporosis called osteoporosis. However, doctors always recommend medications called bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis. But estrogen therapy can help you if you can’t afford or don’t benefit from other treatments.

You suffer from early menopause or estrogen deficiency. Suppose your ovaries are surgically removed before the age of 45. If menstruation stops before age 45 (early or premature menopause) or loses normal ovarian function before age 40 (primary ovarian deficiency). Your body may have less estrogen than women with typical menopause. Estrogen therapy can help reduce the risk of certain health conditions, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, dementia and mood changes.

Conclusion

Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and health risks to see if hormone therapy is a good treatment option. Also, make sure you continue to follow up with your doctor during the years of menopause.

The recommendations made by researchers may change as they discover more information about hormone therapy and other treatments for the period of menopause. If you continue to disturbing by the symptoms of the period of despair, check your treatment options with your doctor regularly.