Quick Facts on Hormone Replacement Therapy
Olivia on Feb 22 2009 at 12:02 am | Filed under: Women's Health
There are some lucky women who never experience the ill effects of menopause. However, there are many more who are experiencing severe menopause symptoms and are longing for some relief. A lot of these women will start to wonder whether they should be using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
A woman’s body stops producing estrogen during menopause. This causes a variety of symptoms that are found in the majority of menopausal women. Many of these can have a very negative effect on a woman’s daily life. So some women decide to replace the lost estrogen through HRT in order to ease these symptoms. However, there are a few issues that must be taken into consideration first.
Some women consider HRT to be the answer to their prayers; for others, it’s bad news. Studies show that it can keep your bones strong and help to prevent heart problems. However, it can also up your chances of developing breast cancer. Also, it can lead to side effects that can be quite severe. Loss of memory, sleep problems and hot flashes are just a few of them.
There are couple of ways of looking at the use of HRT. Studies show that hormone replacement therapy is very effective at easing many of the symptoms of menopause. However, if you aren’t having any noticeable menopause symptoms, HRT might lower your physical functionality and your energy levels.
Many women decide against using HRT because they are concerned about the risk of developing cancer. Others, though, believe that the benefits of HRT are greater than the risk of cancer, and their doctors back them up. HRT is believed to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, and improve overall quality of life.
Recently, studies have shown that certain kinds of menopause medication might have elevated health risks. If you have been taking either Primpro or Premarin, you might want to look at alternatives. Or consider utilizing a natural form of estrogen.
Natural ways to deal with menopause include eating a proper diet, managing your stress, and using natural progesterone supplements. These remedies offer considerable relief for menopause symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, and sometimes completely eradicate them.
Studies are ongoing to determine the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy over a long period of time. However, all too often the various reports reach conflicting conclusions. So that leaves women in the position of figuring out whether or not the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks. Whether or not to take HRT is a decision you ultimately have to make yourself.
