SureFire Women Health

Here some things you should know about the side effects from hormone replacement therapy.

HRT, or hormone replacement therapy can help women quite a bit during menopause. There are a lot of different kinds of HRT to choose from during menopause, as well as a lot of talk going on about the pros and cons of this therapy. The severity of the symptoms of menopause can be reduced by using hormone replacement therapy, but there are also side effects to the use of HRT.

A lot of women are leery of the potential side effects associated with HRT. However, many doctors think that this treatment can be very beneficial if given in small does for short periods of time. These replacement hormones are not given to patients for longer than five years, generally speaking. Doctors who do prescribe HRT to patients will usually watch them closely for side effects.

OK, you are certainly wondering by now what the side effects of HRT can be and whether you should be concerned about them.

Women taking HRT may experience both short-term and long-term side effects.

After taking hormones for a few weeks, some women experience side effects including:

• nausea
• headachesÂ
• hair growth
• other women report irregular bleeding
• fluid retention
• hormone replacements can also make periods heavier and irregular as the ovaries cease producing estrogen

Irregular bleeding as a result of HRT usually begins shortly after starting hormone replacement and continues for around six months.

Fluid retention is another common side effect of hormone replacement. HRT can, in some women, cause bloating, especially at night including swelling in the ankles, face and legs and can lead to headaches.

Symptoms similar to PMS are also common while undergoing HRT. These are more common with some forms of HRT than with others. Doctors are generally in agreement that if these side effects last for more than three months, then a switch to a different form of hormone therapy is warranted.

However, most women experience little side effects in the short term and tolerate HRT well.

There also long term side effects which are sometimes seen in those taking HRT.

These include:Â

• higher risk of breast
• uterine and endometrial cancers

However, studies suggest that only those women who have a family history of breast cancer are at a higher risk for this particular form of cancer.

A lot of doctors think that hormone therapy over the long term is not a wise course, as too little is known about the long term effects of HRT. Women who have already had uterine cancer should not take HRT. Another long term side effect of HRT is weight gain. Steady weight gain over the course of taking HRT is reported by some women. This may actually be due to a slowdown of the metabolism which naturally accompanies aging rather than an effect of the hormones themselves. This is a side effect that should be considered, however, as it is not yet clear whether or not HRT is at fault.

Physicians can help their patients decide if replacement hormones are likely to be a good choice for individual patients based on their medical histories.

So if you have ever wondered what are the side effects from hormone replacement, there you have it.

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