Around menopause, many women experience bothersome symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, chills, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, mood changes, and weight gain. These signs and symptoms result from reduced estrogen production, an inevitable outcome of aging. If you have any of these symptoms, Dr. Varu Devesh may recommend hormone replacement therapy to relieve these uncomfortable symptoms. Men struggling with low testosterone levels can also benefit from hormone replacement therapy.

What is hormone therapy?

Hormone therapy is a medication that contains female hormones, including estrogen. During menopause, your body stops making estrogen, which often causes uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal discomfort. Besides alleviating menopausal symptoms, hormone therapy prevents bone loss and reduces fractures in postmenopausal women.

Although hormone therapy has been proven to benefit women with menopausal symptoms, the treatment is associated with several risks. The risks depend on the type of hormone therapy, dose, treatment duration, and personal health risks. For the best results, healthcare providers tailor hormone therapy to meet a patient’s unique needs and evaluate every so often to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks.

Types of hormone therapy

The main role of hormone replacement therapy is to replace the estrogen your body no longer makes after menopause. Below are the two main types of estrogen therapy:

•         Systemic hormone therapy. Systemic estrogen is available in various forms, including pills, gels, skin patches, creams, rings, or sprays. These typically have a higher dose of estrogen that is absorbed throughout the body and can be used to treat any common symptoms of menopause.
•         Low-dose vaginal products. These come in cream, tablet, or ring form and minimize the amount of estrogen the body absorbs. Since they are low in estrogen, these products are only used to treat vaginal and urinary symptoms of menopause.

If you still have your uterus, your doctor will prescribe estrogen along with progestin or progesterone. Estrogen that is not balanced with progesterone can stimulate the growth of the uterus lining, increasing your risk of endometrial cancer. You may not need to take a progestin if you have had a hysterectomy.

Who needs hormone therapy?

Your healthcare provider may recommend this treatment if you have moderate to severe hot flashes. Such symptoms improve with systemic estrogen therapy. Estrogen can also ease other menopause symptoms such as vaginal dryness, itching, burning, and pain or discomfort with intercourse. Your doctor may also recommend hormone therapy to prevent bone loss and reduce your risk of fractures. As you age, you may develop osteoporosis –a bone-thinning disease. Bisphosphonates are often used to treat osteoporosis, but if you can’t tolerate the medication, estrogen therapy may help.

This treatment also benefits individuals with early menopause or those with estrogen deficiency. For example, you may experience premature menopause if your ovaries were surgically removed, you stopped having periods, lost the normal function of your ovaries before age 45. Estrogen therapy can also minimize the risk of certain health conditions such as heart disease, dementia, stroke, osteoporosis, and mood changes.

If you have uncomfortable menopause symptoms, consult your healthcare provider at Prime Choice Family Clinic & Urgent Care to know how you can benefit from hormone replacement therapy.