However, if you start menopausal hormone therapy before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits may outweigh the risks. Some people who are 60 years old or older or 10 years or older who are post-menopausal may be at greater risk of developing certain conditions. Therefore, the decision to continue or discontinue hormone therapy should depend on individual factors, such as symptoms, general health status, and visits to a doctor. Talk to a GP if you're thinking about discontinuing the TRH.
If you're over 50 and are taking HRT to ease menopausal symptoms, a GP might suggest that you try to stop taking it every 2 or 3 years, to see if you still need it or if your symptoms have improved. In general, it is recommended that patients stop taking hormone therapy before age 60 to reduce the risk of these side effects. The risk of these conditions may decrease when you stop taking hormone replacement therapy. It's important to talk to your healthcare provider while you're going through menopause to come up with a treatment plan that works for you. Every person is different and has unique needs.
People who experience menopause before age 40 should be offered hormone replacement therapy, except on rare occasions (such as having a personal history of breast cancer at a young age). Menopause, when it occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, is considered “natural” and is a normal part of aging. This means that your doctor will consider your age, your health history and your symptoms to decide if hormone replacement therapy is right for you and for how long it should be used. In theory, people can take hormone replacement therapy for the rest of their lives, but the risks involved may increase with age. Whether or not people should reduce the dose of hormone therapy as they age depends on individual factors and ongoing conversations with the doctor.
The benefits of menopausal hormone therapy may outweigh the risks if you start treatment before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) examined the risk of breast cancer in women aged 50 to 59 who received oral hormone therapy with estrogen and progestin (a man-made version of progesterone).) for five years. However, other studies have shown that hormonal hormone therapy can be safe and effective for long-term use, especially when a person starts using it at a younger age and with the lowest effective dose. In some situations, blood tests can be misleading because a lot of hormonal fluctuations occur during the perimenopause stage.
Talk to your provider about the risks and benefits and whether hormone therapy is an option for you based on your health history, age and other factors. Hormonal hormone therapy is generally safe and effective for long-term use, especially when started at a younger age and taken with the lowest effective dose. If you want to continue taking HRT or start taking it after age 60, your GP may recommend taking a low dose and using patches or gel instead of tablets to reduce your risk. As you age, and especially after age 60, the risks of HRT may begin to outweigh the benefits.
If you have a premature menopause (before age 40) or an early menopause (before age 4), it's especially important that you take HRT or combination pill.
