Is hormone replacement therapy perfect for your health condition?
Previously hormone replacement therapy was routinely used to treat symptoms of menopause and to safeguard long term health. Gradually large clinical examinations and studies showed health risks after which there was a chaos among the people, both men and women who were undergoing this therapy. What does this therapy mean to you? Is it suitable for your health conditions?
Hormone replacement therapy or HRT includes the medications which contain female hormones and which are used to replace those th at the human body no longer produces post menopause. This used to be the best treatment for those who were suffering from different menopause symptoms like hot flashes. Apart from treating menopause symptoms, they were also considered to treat heart diseases and dementia and also took care of the overall health of people. Soon after the concerns about health hazards, doctors became less likely to prescribe it. Read on to know more on HRT.
Benefits of HRT – How can you be at an edge by undergoing this treatment?
The advantages of hormone replacement therapy depends on whether or not you take systemic hormone therapy or low-dose vaginal medications containing estrogen.
ü Systemic HT: The estrogen called systemic estrogen comes in skin patch, pills, gel, spray form or cream and this is considered as the most effective treatment for curing menopause symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes. Estrogen may even ease other symptoms of menopause like itching, burning, dryness and discomfort while having sex. Besides, the FDA or the Food and Drug Administration approves of estrogen as the thing that reduces the bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis.
ü Low dose vaginal preparations: These preparations come in the form of cream, ring or tablet and can effectively treat various vaginal problems like urinary issues while reducing the absorption to the body. However, such preparations don’t help with night sweats, hot flases or doesn’t save you from osteoporosis.
Hormone therapy – Who should opt for this?
In spite of the possible health risks associated with this therapy, systemic estrogen is still considered to be one of the best treatments for menopausal symptoms. The advantages of hormone therapy might outsine the risks if you’re healthy and if you:
ü Experience severe hot flashes or any of the other menopausal symptoms mentioned above
ü Have already lost bone mass and you can’t tolerate any other benefitting treatment for your bones
ü Have gone through menopause before 40 years of age or you’ve lost the normal function of ovaries before 40, which is called premature ovarian insufficiency
Women who have gone through early menopause, especially those who have had their ovaries removed and those who don’t take estrogen therapy usually run the risk of developing:
ü Coronary heart diseases
ü Osteoporosis
ü Earlier death due to heart diseases
ü Anxiety or depression
ü Symptoms similar to that of Parkinson
Who should totally avoid HRT?
Women with a past history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, blood clots to the legs or stroke should never opt for hormone replacement therapy. Women undergoing this treatment should never smoke. Women who are not bothered by any kind of the above mentioned symptoms of menopause and those who experienced menopause after 45 don’t require this treatment to stay healthy. They can talk to their doctors to know about staying healthy by reducing osteoporosis.
Being a woman is a tough challenge as there are lots of health hazards that you have to face after experiencing menopause. But thanks to the advancements in health treatments that all this can be reduced and you can again get back normalcy in your life. To know more, you can check out National HRT.
