Among older Medicare women, the implications of using hormone therapy for menopause after age 65 vary by type, route and strength. If you still have a uterus, your healthcare professional will likely prescribe estrogen along with a progestogen, which is a group of medications 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 together with estrogens.
The risk increases the longer you take it and the older you are. It falls back after you stop taking it. Hormone therapy (HT) may be safe for women over 65, according to a recent study published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Hormonal hormone therapy can be used systemically in pill form or topically in the form of a skin patch, gel, cream, or spray. Whether or not people should reduce their dose of HRT as they age depends on individual factors and ongoing conversations with a doctor.
For example, a more nuanced explanation is now available that further clarifies the relationship between hormone therapy and the risk of breast cancer, since the conclusions drawn from data from a study conducted in 2002 were mainly based on women over 60 years of age. The benefits of menopausal hormone therapy may outweigh the risks if you start treatment before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause. To find out if menopausal hormone therapy is a good option for you, talk to your health professional about your symptoms and health risks. For some women, hormone replacement therapy can alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disorders, and mood changes without increasing the risk of breast cancer.
If you're younger than 60, have menopausal symptoms, and aren't at high risk of breast cancer or blood clots, the benefits of hormone therapy are likely to outweigh the risks. For example, if a person takes a combination of estrogen and progestogen for more than 5 years, the risk of breast cancer may increase even after stopping hormone therapy. In theory, people can take hormone replacement therapy for life, but the risks involved may increase with Age. Hormone therapy for menopause, sometimes referred to as menopausal hormone therapy, can provide long-term relief from menopausal symptoms and may also have additional benefits for people under 60 who are within 10 years of menopause and have no other contraindications.
Hormone replacement therapy doesn't cure these conditions, but it can help reduce the risk or delay the onset of these health conditions in some people. The results of the 20-year follow-up of the WHI study published this year revealed that the risk of breast cancer increased with long-term use of combined hormone therapy, but the absolute risk (the likelihood of something happening) was low compared to placebo, and women aged 50 to 59 had a lower risk than women aged 60 and over. The benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy depend on age, menopausal symptoms, and any risk factors that you have. Systemic HRT addresses many of the symptoms associated with menopause, while topical HRT only alleviates vaginal symptoms, such as dryness and pain during sex.
