SureFire Women Health

So, what is hormone replacement therapy?

HRT, short for hormone replacement therapy, is the use of hormones (most commonly, but not always synthetic hormones); usually estrogen and progesterone.

This therapy is administered most commonly after menopause or following a hysterectomy. These hormones are available only by prescription and can help to replace the hormones no longer produced by women following menopause or a hysterectomy. HRT can alleviate the side effects which come along with menopause.

Following menopause or a hysterectomy, some hormones are no longer produced by the body. Because of this, a doctor might prescribe hormones to keep the side effects of menopause under control. Doctors prescribing hormone replacement therapy will consider the woman’s medical history before deciding whether this is the best choice for their patient.

When considering the use of HRT, you must realize that there are pros and cons to the use of hormone replacement therapy to alleviate the side effects of a hysterectomy or menopause.

According to a lot of researchers and physicians, replacement hormones can lower the risk of developing heart disease and osteoporosis. Of course, HRT also lessens the side effects of menopause. Replacement hormones can help alleviate menopause related side effects like night sweats, headaches, hot flashes and so on. Since osteoporosis is a common problem in women, HRT’s effect on reducing the risk of this is generally seen as a plus. Hormone replacement therapy may also reduce the incidence of some other common age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and colon cancer.

The downside of HRT is that in some women, the synthetic hormones used can raise their risk of developing breast cancers, especially if they have a family history of breast cancer. Women who have this risk factor will normally be discouraged from taking hormone replacement therapy. HRT can also cause women to have a greater incidence of endometrial cancer – however, this risk can be lowered by using a combination of estrogen and progestin in their HRT treatments.

Hormone replacement also carries with it some short-term effects. These side effects can be minimized by talking with your doctor about what is a suitable hormone replacement dosage. A lot of women have vaginal bleeding and discharge, fluid retention, nausea, headaches and breast tenderness. Weight gain is reported by some women; however this is more likely due to the natural slowing of the metabolism caused by aging.

If you are near menopause or are facing a the likelihood of a hysterectomy, talk to your doctor about whether hormone replacement therapy is a good choice for you. You and your doctor should discuss all of the factors which you need to be aware of before deciding on a HRT treatment regimen. Some women do better on hormones for a longer time, while others benefit more from shirt-term usage. When undergoing HRT treatments, your doctor will keep a watch over your progress to be aware of any possibility of long-term side effects.

So there it is, what is hormone replacement therapy.

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