Hormone therapy (HT) is also known as hormone replacement therapy or HRT. It is a hormone treatment prescribed by a doctor. Some women take HT to offset the lower levels of estrogen and progesterone that happen naturally at the beginning of menopause.
HT is either:
HT may be taken as:
Hormone therapy may improve menopausal symptoms such as:
There is no solid scientific evidence to show that HT can prevent:
There are side-effects associated with hormone therapy, with some women reporting:
There is also a risk of blood clots that starts immediately when taking HT.
The known health risks associated with long-term use (more than 4 years) of HT are:
HT also affects mammography readings by making breasts appear more dense on the mammographs and more difficult to read. HT may also increase the risk of ovarian cancer, but more research needs to be done in this area.
Hormone therapy will not likely prevent wrinkles.
There have been no significant controlled clinical trials conducted on the relation between wrinkles and HT so it is impossible to know if HT affects aging skin.
New clinical evidence shows that HT may actually increase women's risk of memory loss. The Women's Health Initiative Study indicates that women 65 and older taking estrogen plus progestin HT have an increased risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), compared with women who did not take the medication.
The study also found that the combination therapy did not protect against the development of Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI, a form of cognitive decline less severe than dementia.
There is no clear clinical evidence to show that estrogen therapy alone improves brain function. Research done in this area has produced only inconclusive and conflicting results.
Research shows that estrogen therapy delays bone loss only while a woman is taking estrogen (and not after). Because of this, estrogen may be prescribed to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Many medical organizations have noted that the risks of HT may outweigh this benefit, and so suggest other, non-HT medications to reduce the risk of, and to treat osteoporosis.
Hormone levels are not linked directly to interest in sex, but lower levels of hormones after menopause may cause vaginal dryness.
Vaginal dryness may be relieved by:
There is no right or wrong answer since each woman has her own medical history and individual needs.
However, those who may benefit most from HT include women:
Women who should not consider standard HT, unless they discuss their specific risks with their physician, include women with:
Hormone therapy is only one of many options for women going through menopause. Many women do not have severe menopausal symptoms and choose to go through menopause naturally. Other women experience several menopausal symptoms and choose to manage their symptoms through:
What a woman decides to do will depend on her needs and medical history. A woman considering HT or other therapies should weigh the health benefits and risks in consultation with her medical practitioner.
Reviewed June 2006.
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