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Hormone Replacement Therapy - What is it and When is It Appropriate?




Hormone replacement therapy, more commonly known as postmenopausal hormone treatment or menopause hormone treatment, is a therapeutic form of hormone replacement therapy used to relieve symptoms associated with the natural aging process. This type of treatment is prescribed by a doctor for the purpose of relieving the symptoms of menopause in women who are past the age of forty to sixty-five years of age. Hormone replacement therapies may also be prescribed by other healthcare professionals such as gynecologists and endocrinologists. Click on this link: https://albanoclinic.com/whole-body-wellness/bioidentical-hormone-replacement-therapy/ to get more details about hormone therapy.


The most common form of HRT is estrogen therapy, which helps to relieve the symptoms of menopause by regulating the body's production of estrogen. Estrogen therapy is usually recommended as therapy to help relieve perimenopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness and night sweats. This form of hormone replacement therapy works by altering the balance of the two hormones estrogen and progesterone. The replacement hormone estrogen usually comes in the form of an oral medication, cream, suppository or injection. The most commonly prescribed type of estrogen therapy is clomiphene citrate.


While estrogen alone may be helpful in relieving premenopausal symptoms, it does carry some risk factors such as heart disease, stroke, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis and osteoporosis. For these reason, many doctors recommend that their patients take combined hormone replacement therapy even when they are not due for surgery. These combined drugs include estrogen along with anti-androgens such as progestin. Anti-androgens help to prevent the onset of osteoporosis and breast cancer while reducing the risk of heart disease.


Hormone replacement therapy has been proven to be effective to break the cycle for postmenopausal symptoms and some women choose to use the therapy during their menopause years. In fact, more than half of all postmenopausal women take HRT. This type of treatment is best suited for women who are not due for surgery for another year or more. For women who are nearing the age of having their first child, hormone replacement therapy may be more appropriate. While this can have negative effects on fertility, it does appear to be an effective treatment for avoiding fertility related problems such as reduced ovarian output, lower bone density and blood clotting, problems related to vaginal dryness and bladder issues.


If you are experiencing symptoms that you believe may be due to HRT, you should talk to your doctor about a possible HRT regimen. You will probably also want to mention any other medicines you may be taking, as well as any environmental factors that you believe might be causing the symptoms you are experiencing. Your doctor can administer a blood test called a serum hormone panel to measure the levels of both estrogen and progesterone in your blood. With this information, your doctor will be able to determine whether or not you are suitable for hormone replacement therapy.


As previously mentioned, many women feel comfortable with using hormones to correct many of the symptoms associated with menopause. There are other side effects to hormone replacement therapy that many women should be aware of. Women should be careful when applying these hormones to the skin and should avoid some common remedies such as perfumed tampons, colognes and aftershaves. If you are breast-feeding, you should discuss breast feeding with your doctor prior to beginning any HRT regimen. Find out more info about this topic at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_therapy.

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