Are you experiencing uncomfortable or overwhelming symptoms associated with the menopause? Perhaps you have hot flashes, migraines, and mood swings. If so, you may like to talk to your doctor or a gynecologist about hormone replacement therapy. There are also many other tips and treatments available that will help you to navigate menopause. If you are searching for an Athens gynecologist, you may want to contact shelnutt gynecology who specializes in menopause treatment. They can give you advice about whether or not hormone replacement therapy is right for you.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the most common and effective treatment for symptoms associated with menopause. HRT provides synthetic replacement hormones to women whose bodies have stopped producing estrogen due to menopause. HRT can eliminate or reduce symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings. In some patients, it’s used to prevent bone loss.
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for Me?
If you’re considering taking hormone replacement therapy, your doctor or gynecologist will need to assess you to see if it’s the right treatment for you. They will take into account your overall health, medical history, as well as your age before prescribing HRT. Once you get the recommendation from your doctor, you can then proceed to a center for hormone replacement therapy in El Paso, TX (or wherever you live) to receive the necessary treatment.
Women who may be at risk of heart disease or cancer or have had these conditions in the past won’t be able to take HRT. This is because HRT can increase the risk of having a heart attack and can also cause cancer, blood clots, or a stroke. Your medical history will also contribute towards these risks, as will the dosage.
Due to the risks associated with HRT, it is often taken alongside progesterone. Taking estrogen by itself is likely to cause severe health problems unless you’ve had your uterus removed. For that reason, doctors recommend counterbalancing the effects with progesterone. Women who don’t take progesterone are more likely to have side-effects.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
The main benefit of taking HRT is that it will treat common symptoms of menopause, making you feel more like yourself. HRT can also help protect you against osteoporosis, a disease that reduces bone mass and weakens the body.
Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy
There are two different types of HRT; the most common is systemic estrogen. Lower-dose vaginal products are also available. There is also BHRT that involves the use of Bioidentical Hormones, which are derived from plant sources like soy and yam, and closely resemble the hormones produced by the human body. This type of HRT is customized to match an individual’s specific hormonal needs and is considered by some to offer a more personalized and potentially natural approach to hormone therapy.
Systemic estrogen, on the other hand, is most commonly used for treating menopause. There are several different ways to take this medication as it’s such as a pill, spray, patch, or cream. Your doctor will be able to look at your circumstances and medical history to see what type is best suited to you.
Systemic estrogen is used to treat symptoms such as hot flashes, as well as vaginal issues, including dryness, discomfort, and itching.
Low-dose vaginal products are used to treat uncomfortable vaginal symptoms. Small amounts of estrogen are absorbed into the body, and these medications are available as a pill, crème, or ring. The disadvantage of these products is that they won’t treat symptoms such as hot flashes or night sweats.
