Once, hormone therapy to treat menopausal symptoms was routine. However, in recent years, studies have shown that one type may carry more risks than benefits. This simply means that you should know the effects hormone therapy may have on your body prior to beginning. Hormone therapy may still carry plenty of benefits for some women, and should not be ignored completely. If you’re undergoing undesirable effects of menopause or post-menopause, read on to learn about its benefits and why it may be right for you.
Why should I take hormone therapy?
You may want to consider taking hormone therapy if you experience moderate to severe hot flashes and night sweats. It’s also helpful if you suffer from osteoporosis, but other treatments do not help. Another reason to take hormone therapy is if you experienced premature menopause (before age 40) or otherwise lost normal ovary function at this age. Premature menopause or ovary removal without estrogen therapy before age 45 can carry risks like:
- Heart disease
- Parkinsonism (symptoms similar to Parkinson’s)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Osteoporosis
- Early death
In this case, the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks. And it can even lower the risk of most breast cancers!
Benefits
Systemic estrogen therapy gives the most effective relief for hot flashes and night sweats. The higher dose of estrogen may also relieve vaginal dryness, itching, or burning, as well as ease discomfort with intercourse. This type of therapy is also effective prevention for osteoporosis–all too common in women past menopause.
Vaginal products using low dosages of estrogen are great for treating vaginal symptoms. However, they are not effective with hot flashes or night sweats. They also offer no prevention for osteoporosis.
Risks
A large clinical trial showed that Prempro–a pill combining estrogen and progestin–increased the risk of serious conditions such as:
- Heart disease
- Blood clots
- Breast cancer
- Strokes
Breast cancer can be especially hard to detect for a woman on hormone therapy. This is because hormone therapy can make your breasts appear denser during a mammogram. It’s important particularly because the risk of breast cancer increases with multiple hormone therapy combinations, not just Prempro.
Women who have not undergone a post-menopausal hysterectomy usually receive progesterone alongside estrogen. Estrogen alone may stimulate the uterine lining’s growth, which poses a risk for uterine cancer. Taking progesterone with estrogen can help reduce this risk.
The risks for taking hormone therapy vary from woman to woman. Various factors must be taken into account, such as age and the age at which you experienced menopause, the dose of estrogen, outside risks for clots or heart disease, and family medical history.
If you feel the benefits of hormone replacement therapy outweigh the risks, such as reducing symptoms of osteoporosis or severe hot flashes, talk to your doctor. Together, you can assess these risks and determine what type of hormone therapy is right for you.