Starting menopause is the official end of having a period forever. Starting this stage of your life doesn’t come without its fair share of problems, though.
Between the annoying hot flashes and painful vaginal dryness, you’ll be begging your menstrual cycle to start again, or you’ll at least try to find relief for your symptoms.
For most women, the solution is hormone replacement therapy.
What is hormone replacement therapy, and how can it help you? We’ve got all the answers that you’re looking for right here. Check out this guide to find out if it’s time to talk to your doctor about this amazing treatment option.
What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
So, first thing’s first. What is hormone replacement therapy near me? To explain it, we’ll first have to talk about the process of menopause.
You see, as you age, your ovaries stop making as much estrogen and progestogen. These rapid changes to your body can cause a series of frustrating symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, urinary urgency, vaginal dryness, mood swings, insomnia, and dry mouth.
The only way to get relief from these symptoms is to boost your hormones back to their normal levels. That’s where HRT comes into the picture.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Benefits
The main reason why women take HRT is to combat menopause symptoms. Once your treatment begins, you can kiss painful intercourse and hot flashes goodbye.
HRT can ease other signs of aging such as osteoporosis. Taking it can also decrease your risk for heart disease, and provide you with an overall better sense of mental wellbeing.
Types of Hormone Replacement
When it comes time to choose your hormone replacement, your doctor will talk to you about two different options. These are estrogen therapy and estrogen-progesterone.
Estrogen Therapy
This type of therapy involves taking estrogen by itself. Most of the time, your doctor will prescribe the lowest dose possible. It will be enough to ease most menopause symptoms without causing any risk to your health.
There are several ways you can get your daily dose of estrogen. Pills are the most common option. You’ll take it once a day as instructed by your doctor.
Most pills require that you take them without eating food first, and some can come with an intricate dosing schedule attached. If you don’t want to have to bother with that, there’s always the patch.
You’ll wear it above your abdomen. You’ll have to replace your patch every few days. Some can last up to a week before you have to toss it out.
Estrogen gels and creams work a lot like the patches in that you’ll be absorbing it through your skin. The dosing instructions on these can vary from product to product.
Estrogen Progesterone
Estrogen progesterone therapy is often called combined therapy. The reason being is that you’ll be getting a dose of both estrogen and progesterone when you take it.
Unlike regular old estrogen therapy, you don’t have near as many prescription options. Nine times out of ten, you’ll have to take it in pill form.
Does It Matter What Type of Treatment You Use?
The answer is yes! If you still have your uterus, you’ll have no choice but to take the combined therapy. When you’re still menstruating, your body will shed your endometrium every month.
This function stops cells from building up in your uterus. When you stop menstruating and the cells grow out of control, it can lead to cancer. The combined therapy cuts back on your risk by thinning your endometrium.
If you don’t have your uterus anymore, you can make do with regular old estrogen therapy. If you were to take a pill that contains progesterone, it will increase your risk for complications.
Are There Risks Involved?
No matter what type of hormone replacement therapy you take, there are always risks involved. The best way to cut back on the dangers is by understanding which ones exist.
Higher Chance of Cancer
If you take the wrong type of hormone replacement therapy (and even if you don’t), you increase your risk of developing breast cancer. Your vulnerability to the disease goes up the longer you take HRT.
The best way to avoid this problem is to be proactive. Make sure you attend regular breast cancer screening appointments.
Blood Clots
Taking HRT in both pill and patch formats can cause you to develop blood clots. If left unchecked, these clots could lead to a stroke. This is especially true for those who’ve been taking the medication for several years.
We recommend talking to your doctor about taking the lowest HRT dose you can. Doing so will cut back on your risk by a large margin.
Gallbladder Disease
Taking estrogen causes cholesterol to build up in your gallbladder. Over time, it can cause painful gallstones to form. If after reading about these risks, you still want to give hormone replacement therapy a try, visit nufemme.com
Fight the Impact of Menopause
What is hormone replacement therapy? It’s a treatment option that will help ease the painful symptoms that come along with menopause. Taking it doesn’t come without its fair share of danger, however.
If you aren’t careful, you’ll increase your risk of developing certain health conditions such as heart disease and gallbladder issues. The best way to avoid these problems is by talking to your doctor.
They’ll be able to evaluate your needs and suggest the right product for you. Make your appointment today and take your life back from menopause for good.
For more ways to keep yourself in good health throughout your golden years, visit the Lifestyle section of our blog.
