Risks of HRT The risks of any serious side effect are usually very low and depend on the type of HRT you're taking, how long you take it, and your own health risks. Many of these potential risks also have to do with your general health and family history of illnesses. It's important to discuss your individual risk with your provider. If you still have a uterus, your healthcare professional will likely prescribe estrogen along with a progestogen, which is a group of drugs similar to progesterone.
This is because taking estrogen without a progestin can thicken the lining of the uterus, which can increase the risk of endometrial cancer. If your uterus has been removed, you may not need to take a progestogen along with estrogen. There is also concern about bioidentical oral preparations, as there may be inconsistencies in the amounts of estradiol and other estrogen preparations in composite preparations. This can increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, as well as the risk of endometrial cancer.
Risks associated with hormone replacement therapy include stroke, blood clots, and cancer. Transdermal estrogen patches, for example, carry a lower risk of stroke and blood clots than oral estrogens. Women who still have a uterus need combination therapy (estrogen and progesterone) to prevent uterine cancer. However, according to the American Cancer Society, that same combination of hormones can increase the risk of breast cancer.
If you take combined hormone replacement therapy on an ongoing basis, it's common to have irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting within the first 4 to 6 months of taking it. Tell a GP at your first check up after 3 months if you have irregular vaginal bleeding. If it doesn't go away, your GP might suggest changing your progestogen dose. Nowadays, the choice to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is highly personalized and is based on women's needs and potential risk factors, says Dr.
Reproductive Endocrinologist and Endocrinologist at the Cedars-Sinai Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility. What's more concerning is that these compound hormones often have unfounded claims, lack scientific data on safety and efficacy, and lack control of quality. Over the past two decades, there has been enormous confusion regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Hormone replacement therapy can also help with bone loss (osteoporosis and osteopenia), a common condition in women who don't have enough estrogen.
It's important that your provider helps you understand the advantages and disadvantages of hormonal hormone therapy and how they apply to your particular situation. Your healthcare professional can help you choose the best way to take these hormones based on what works for you and has the least number of side effects. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of private clinics offering composite bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to women, which is a matter of great concern. You should discuss the risks and benefits of hormone therapy with your provider to determine if it's right for you.
Some of the hormones used in these bioidentical hormones contain hormones that are not approved for women, such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or pregnenolone. These hormone preparations do not undergo the same safety, efficacy, or dosage consistency tests as with regulated hormone replacement therapy. Hormones are “combined” in special pharmacies, so they are custom-made to produce tablets, pills and creams, in combined doses or preparations that are not routinely available. Most women and health professionals are concerned about the potential risks of breast cancer in women receiving hormone replacement therapy.
Estrogen-only hormone therapy and combination hormone therapy (estrogen and progesterone) are the two main types of hormone replacement therapy. This form of hormonal hormone therapy combines doses of estrogen and progesterone (also called progestin), which is the name for all the hormones that act like progesterone, including synthetic ones).
