Hormone replacement therapy or HRT entails managing your hormones by taking medications that contain female hormones to substitute the ones your body stops producing following menopause. In general, it’s used for treating common symptoms of menopause such as vaginal discomfort and hot flashes. HRT has likewise been proven to minimize fractures and prevent bone loss in postmenopausal females.
While immensely beneficial, HRT also comes with risks that will mainly depend on certain factors such as the dose, the exact kind of hormone therapy, and the duration of the therapy. With this in mind, the management of HRT should be a partnership with your gynecologist. Dr. Miriam Torres, your women’s healthcare specialist here at Serenity Gynecology & Functional Medicine in Grapevine, TX, can customize an HRT plan for you to ensure that you benefit from it with no to little risk.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Benefits
The benefits of HRT would depend on which type of therapy you’ll be undergoing, whether vaginal estrogen products or systemic hormone therapy.
Low-Dose Estrogen Vaginal Preparations
These estrogen preparations, which are available in ring, tablet, or cream forms could treat vaginal and urinary symptoms effectively while reducing absorption into your body. However, these don’t work to combat night sweat, hot flashes, and they also can’t protect against osteoporosis.
If your uterus is still intact, your gynecologist and women’s healthcare professional in Grapevine, TX, may prescribe estrogen with progestin or progesterone. The reason for this is that estrogen, if not balanced with adequate levels of progesterone, could trigger the uterus lining’s growth and raise your risk for cancer of the uterus. On the other hand, if you’ve already had a hysterectomy, you won’t need to take progesterone.
Systemic Hormone Therapy
This entails taking systemic estrogen products, which are available in pill, spray, cream, gel, or patch forms. These are very effective in treating annoying symptoms of menopause like night sweats and hot flashes. Likewise, estrogen could help relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort, itching, or burning during sexual intercourse. Additionally, combined progesterone and estrogen therapy may lower your risk of developing colon cancer.
Studies have also found that systemic estrogen could help reduce your risk for heart disease when you take it as early as possible in your postmenopausal years. It can also help safeguard against osteoporosis but doctors typically recommend bisphosphonates for treating this bone-thinning condition.
To figure out whether you can benefit from hormone replacement therapy, speak to your gynecologist about your specific symptoms and issues.
If You Have Concerns, Questions, or Need Information on Women’s Healthcare Issues and Hormone Management, Call Us
Dial (817) 280-9616 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Miriam Torres here at Serenity Gynecology & Functional Medicine in Grapevine, TX.