Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy · Hot Flashes and Night Sweats · Vaginal Dryness · Mood Changes · Depression · Reduced sexual desire. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a medical treatment given to women to replace the decline in estrogen and progesterone levels that is common with the onset of menopause. The therapy is used to help alleviate bothersome menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. One of the main benefits of hormonal hormone therapy is that it alleviates uncomfortable symptoms.
of menopause. This can lead to a better quality of life and allow you to return to the activities you enjoy. Some hormone therapies can cause vaginal bleeding. It is more common when you start hormone therapy for the first time or if you switch from one treatment to another.
Hot flashes and sweating can be annoying. How often you have them and how long they last will vary from person to person. Talk to your health care team if you have trouble coping with hot flashes and sweating. There are treatments that can help. You may also have other symptoms of menopause, even if you've already had menopause.
For example, you may have vaginal dryness, mood changes, sweating, and decreased sexual desire. Some hormone therapies can cause hair thinning. Usually, other people don't notice it. If you are concerned about thinning hair and would like advice on how to cover it, you can learn more about thinning hair and anticancer drugs.
As with estrogen side effects, these usually go away after a few weeks. There are things you can do to help cope with them. If you take combination hormone replacement therapy, you may experience some of the side effects of estrogen or progestin. Hormone therapy is a viable option for relatively young and healthy women up to 59 years of age or within ten years after menopause.
These hormones are then altered in a lab to have the same molecular structure as the hormones the body used to produce before menopause. Hormone therapy blocks or reduces the amount of hormones in the body to stop or slow the growth of cancer. Combined hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer, but most studies show that the increase is small (less than 1 in 1000). Some people feel that their memory worsens during hormone therapy and for a while afterward. If you're looking to alleviate menopausal symptoms, knowing the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help you decide if it's right for you.
Compound hormones aren't well studied and healthcare providers aren't sure about their long-term effects. This is important to know because taking estrogen alone has been shown to have fewer long-term risks compared to combined hormone therapy. Estrogen-only hormone therapy and combination hormone therapy (estrogen and progesterone) are the two main types of therapy for hormone replacement. The risk of blood clots (thrombosis) may increase slightly when you take some types of hormone therapy.
Once you start hormone replacement therapy, it's essential to check with your doctor to discuss any symptoms or side effects you have. Hormone replacement therapy can be very beneficial and plays an important role in managing menopausal symptoms during the menopausal transition. This form of 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). Doctors also call it hormone therapy (HT), especially when you receive treatment after age 50.
If you have menopausal symptoms that are affecting your quality of life, you may wonder if hormone therapy is an option for you. Age, family medical history, personal medical history, and severity of symptoms can affect your decision to undergo hormone therapy.