A Mini Guide to Hormone Replacement Therapy in Women

When a woman reaches menopause, it marks the end of their fertile years and menstrual cycle. A rather common misconception that plagues women of this age is that menopause is a process that takes place overnight. However, that is not how it works. 4 to 8 years before menopause, the woman’s body will undergo a natural decline in the levels of estrogen, progesterone, and other female hormones. The diminishing hormones lead to symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and painful intercourse. In some others, the symptoms may prevail as insomnia, splitting headaches, and frequent mood changes.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (aka HRT) is a treatment that is beneficial to help such women.

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Hormone Replacement Therapy, generally abbreviated as HRT, is a form of treatment where the doctor injects hormones into your body that it doesn’t produce anymore. In a majority of women in OKC, HRT uses a combination of estrogen and progesterone to combat symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Progesterone is also very effective in preventing uterine cancer and osteoporosis (bone loss).

Note that when we say the doctor ‘injects’ hormones, we only mean they administer the hormones to the body. There are different ways of introducing estrogen and progesterone to a woman’s body, including pills, patches, and of course, needles.

What Are the Different Types of HRT?

You can categorize HRT into systemic or local. Systemic HRT indicates that the drugs travel through your bloodstream, coursing the entire body. Local HRT, on the other hand, administers to only one particular area of the body.

Systemic HRT deals with hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and mood swings. If your symptoms localize around the genitalia and mostly involve vaginal dryness and feeling pain during sex - local HRT treatment like creams and tablets might be aptly suitable for you.

What Are the Side Effects of HRT?

Hormone Replacement Therapy can cause the following side effects in women -

• Soreness in breasts

• Vaginal bleeding, apart from periods

• Acne

• Mood swings and depression

• Muscle cramps

• Headaches

• Nausea and dizziness

• Blurry Vision

Is there Anyone Who Shouldn’t Use HRT?

Pregnant women get strict advice against the use of HRT. HRT is also not suitable for patients with a history of hypertension, thrombosis, and unusually high triglyceride levels. People who already have had strokes and a brush with heart and gall bladder diseases should avoid HRT as well. However, most of all, it is patients with breast cancer who have to stay away from HRT at all costs.

What Are Bioidenticals?

The term bioidentical refers to a drug that replicates the same chemical and molecular structure of the hormones present in our body. The formulation of bioidentical hormones occurs in the lab or some instances, they occur naturally. Natural bioidentical hormones come from plant and animal sources, but they still undergo commercial processing.

Bottom line

Hormone Replacement Therapy is the appropriate solution to a plethora of health problems in both men and women, even though this article primarily discusses HRT in women. The Broadway Clinic, OKC offers bioidentical HRT to its patrons. Visit our website to learn more about what we do, why we do and how we do it. Request an appointment with us today!

**Disclaimer: This content does not aim to provide any medical advice nor does it constitute or prescribe any doctor-patient relationship.