Menopause is a transition that all women will go through. As a result of menopausal symptoms, such as night sweats, hot flashes, skin changes and joint stiffness, many women decide to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease discomfort and improve their overall well-being. For example, an insufficient amount of estrogen may not alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, while an excessive amount may cause side effects, such as bloating or headaches. Some women may also need testosterone supplements if their symptoms include fatigue.
or decreased libido. For example, antidepressants may be prescribed for mood changes or anxiety, while non-hormonal treatments such as veozah, oxybutynin, clonidine, or gabapentin can treat hot flashes. Herbal remedies for menopause may also be discussed. If hormone therapy isn't right for you, they may recommend supplements or medications for bone health or heart protection.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, HRT may not be suitable for you. While HRT is sometimes referred to as a miracle drug, the truth is often much more complex. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most effective treatment available for menopause. You might even think it's a miracle drug, but the truth is that it can be complex.
You may notice signs that hormone therapy isn't working for you, such as annoying side effects and symptoms that don't improve. Dr. Lucy Wilkinson, clinical advisor at Vira Health, explains what to do if this happens to you and how to get help. Don't lose faith if you don't see immediate improvement after starting hormone replacement therapy.
It may take several weeks for symptoms to go away and sometimes up to three months. That's why the doctor usually waits until three months have passed before doing a checkup to see how things are going. However, if you recently started hormone replacement therapy and you feel unwell, contact your doctor before three months of follow-up. This is especially important if you have heavy vaginal bleeding or if you have noticed any lumps or changes in your breasts. Hormonal hormone therapy has certain side effects, which tend to be more pronounced in the first few weeks and months of use.
If you're not lucky, you might even find that HRT can make you feel worse before you feel better. All of these tend to calm down after a few weeks. However, if they are particularly serious or don't get better, see your doctor. They may be able to change your prescription to ease side effects.
For example, side effects tend to be milder with TRH patches than with pills. Likewise, your doctor may be able to lower your dose or suggest another approach to your treatment. These side effects tend to go away after a few weeks. However, if they're particularly severe or don't get better, it could be a sign that hormone therapy isn't working for you and you need to talk to your doctor.
Your doctor may be able to change your prescription to ease side effects. Alternatively, a lower dose or a different treatment approach may work better. If it's been several months and you don't see any improvement in menopausal symptoms, it could be one of the signs that hormone therapy isn't working for you. You may need to increase the dose of hormone therapy, specifically the estrogen you're taking.
The symptoms of menopause are due to decreased hormone levels, and HRT works by providing the body with estrogen that it no longer produces. Many HRT products come with a variety of estrogen doses, and finding the one that's right for you can be a trial and error process. A higher dose may help control menopausal symptoms more efficiently, while a lower dose may make side effects more tolerable. You may also consider increasing the dose if the once brilliant hormone replacement therapy seems to have stopped working.
As your body moves toward menopause, your hormone needs sometimes increase, meaning you may need to take more estrogen to keep your symptoms under control. HRT can be taken systemically, meaning that hormones enter the bloodstream and are distributed throughout the body. This is an effective way to treat general menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and low mood, among others. The preparations include tablets, patches, gels and sprays.
Hormone replacement therapy can also be used vaginally, meaning that estrogens are applied only in the genital area. This treats menopausal genitourinary syndrome (GSM), which can cause itching, burning, pain, tightness, pain when having sex, and urinary symptoms. With this approach, hormones are not absorbed into the bloodstream and remain only in the genital area. Likewise, if you're taking vaginal hormone replacement therapy to treat gastrointestinal syndrome, you won't see any improvement in any other menopausal symptoms.
If this is the case, ask your doctor about changing your prescription. If you're worried that your HRT isn't working or that you're feeling worse, read the instructions on the medicine container. If you find it difficult to take HRT, ask your doctor for an alternative. It's common to switch from one type to another, and it's important to find a type of HRT that works well for you.
For example, if you have arthritis in your hands, you may find it difficult to use a pump or put on a patch. Or, if you have a busy lifestyle, you may have a hard time remembering to take a daily pill, and a patch twice a week may work better. It can be difficult to control menopausal symptoms, especially if you're trying to control them for a long period of time. While it can be easy to count hot flashes, how can you control your mood, your weight, your energy levels, or your aches and pains at the same time? One way to get a useful overview is to use our Stella app, which allows you to track your progress.
It will allow you to see how your symptoms have changed over time and if there have been any improvements. You can share this information with your doctor, who can use it to inform your treatment plan. If you've been taking hormone therapy but it's not working, it might be time to reevaluate your symptoms. If your HRT doesn't seem to be working, take the opportunity to check with your doctor. They may be able to do more research and find an alternative cause for your symptoms.
This can also be a good time to think generally about your lifestyle. Are there any other changes I can make to improve my symptoms? You may decide to think about your diet, exercise, weight, smoking history, and daily routine, and more. Also remember that lifestyle changes can complement your hormone therapy treatment and have been shown to help alleviate many of the symptoms of menopause. Find out how menopause can affect your libido and if hormone therapy can help.
Get expert advice, tips for lifestyle changes, and discover which HRT treatments are the best. Antidepressants are generally safe to take along with hormone replacement therapy. In fact, they can be used to treat some menopausal symptoms. Here's everything you need to know. In the past, scientists thought that HRT increased the risk of breast cancer, but now this research looks differently.
We look at the most recent HRT options and yours. You can unsubscribe at any time. Menopause is a natural and biological transition in a woman's life that marks the end of her childbearing age. In the United States, the average age of onset is 51 years, although it can occur in women's 40s.
While some women have no symptoms when entering menopause, others may experience problems such as hot flashes and night sweats. Often, these symptoms can be alleviated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Hormone levels can affect the body's internal “temperature control”. As a result, blood vessels can expand and create a heat wave that causes sweating and reddening of the skin.
Night sweats are also common in women during perimenopause or in the years before menopause. Everyone experiences mood changes from time to time, but during menopause, hormonal changes can cause them to occur more often. The intensity of mood changes can make it difficult to carry out daily activities. When estrogen is lost during menopause, women may experience thinning of their hair.
Of course, hair loss can be due to other causes, such as genetics, age, diseases, and nutritional deficiencies. You decide if you want to take hormone replacement therapy and when to start taking it. You don't need to wait until your symptoms are severe or until your periods stop completely. A GP should explain the benefits and risks to you and help you decide.
Women often share stories about how HRT helps them manage menopause, but HRT comes with risks. For example, some hormone replacement treatments can interfere with medications for epilepsy and make the condition less controlled. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce and even eliminate these unpleasant changes, considerably improving women's quality of life as needed who age. While HRT is a very effective treatment for many, it doesn't work for everyone and it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.
However, most side effects improve over time, so it's recommended to continue hormone therapy for at least three months to stabilize everything. The study ended prematurely, when the results showed an increased risk of heart disease in the group of women taking hormone replacement therapy. When you decide to stop taking hormone therapy, you may choose to stop taking it suddenly, but it is generally recommended to reduce the dose gradually over a period of 3 to 6 months. Other factors, such as poor diet, alcohol and caffeine, and lack of exercise can aggravate menopausal symptoms, which could mask the impact that HRT is having.
If you want to continue taking hormone therapy 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. When it comes to hormone therapy and weight gain, there is little evidence to suggest that hormone replacement therapy increases weight. In addition to these side effects, some women also notice changes in their mood and emotions, especially in the first few weeks of starting hormone therapy. If menopausal symptoms come back when you try to stop taking it and you decide that the benefits of HRT for your symptoms still outweigh the risks, you can keep taking it for longer.
