Hormone replacement therapy HRT is a hot topic to be discussed. Now there is the question at the moment that why is it a favorite topic in recent times? Hormone replacement therapy simply known as HRT is considered as an effective treatment option for those people especially women who experience symptoms related to some serious diseases such as menopause, hormonal abnormality or perimenopause. Now it is clear that you can go for hormone replacement therapy but it is very important to know who will actually decide to go for this treatment option. In this important article we are going to discuss in a detailed way what HRT is, what are its benefits and how to decide whether it is a right option for you or not.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy is recommended in that condition when it becomes crucial to replace or repair those hormones from your body that it cannot produce in the right quantity which is required to perform functions of the body in an effective way. So hormone replacement therapy is actually an arrangement of hormones especially estrogen and progesterone.
Basically there are two types of HRT. Let’s check it out in detail.
Estrogen Only Therapy (ET)
Estrogen only therapy is mostly recommended to women especially in case of hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is basically a surgery which is performed in order to remove the uterus. Estrogen Only Therapy is very beneficial to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. It is because after hysterectomy alone estrogen can increase the chances of possible cancer issues.
Combination Therapy (EPT)
In combination therapy both estrogen and progesterone are included. This type of therapy is highly recommended to those women who still have uterus. Combination Therapy is used in women in order to protect from possible endometrial cancer.
It is important to know that hormone replacement therapy is implemented in many forms. Some of the most important and common ones are as follows: pills, creams, patches and gels. HRT is also arranged as the vaginal rings form.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
One of the basic reasons for hormone replacement therapy is to get relief from Menopausal symptoms in women. Here are some common reasons to take HRT.
✓night sweats
✓dryness in vagina
✓mood swings
✓disturbance in sleeping
Hormone replacement therapy actually reduces these symptoms to a great extent in women. That’s why HRT is one of the top priorities for many women in this case.
Prevention of Bone Loss
Hormone replacement therapy is also beneficial in case of bone loss. Try to understand that estrogen is a special hormone that plays a vital role to maintain bone density. With the passage of time as the age of women increases the estrogen level also reduces. In this way the chances of fractures and osteoporosis increases to a greater extent.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Medical research shows that hormone replacement therapy when performed during the time of menopause provides you additional benefits of cardiovascular health. In this situation the chances of heart disease are reduced. The important thing to mention here is that still ongoing research continues.
Improvement in Quality of Life
Hormone replacement therapy has a significant impact over the quality of life for many people around the world. Research in this field shows that many women feel much improvement in their sleeping, sexual health and mood stability.
Risk and Ideas
From the above discussion it is clear that hormone replacement therapy is beneficial especially for women but be careful because it has side effects also. So due to its possible risk elements it is very important to first discuss it with your professional Healthcare provider for getting professional guidance to go for it or not. Some of the common risk elements are as follows.
Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
Medical studies have shown that the use of hormone replacement therapy for a longer period of time can increase the risk of breast cancer. Especially in the case of combination therapy this risk increases. So keep in mind that there are more chances of possible diseases if you go for a long term HRT. Similarly the risk reduces when you start to minimize HRT.
Cardiovascular Risks
Now there is actually confusion in most people’s minds. As we said earlier, HRT is helpful for your cardiovascular health. Yes it is true. HRT is helpful only in that case when it starts at an early stage in case of menopause. Chances of cardiovascular risk increase when it starts later. Many health issues like heart attack, blood clots and stroke are some common risk factors of HRT.
Endometrial Cancer Risk
The risk of endometrial cancer increases in certain women who have their uterus intact especially in case of the use of estrogen only therapy. In order to reduce or minimize this risk factor, combination therapy is recommended.
Other possible Risks
Medical research shows that the use of hormone replacement therapy HRT also become the reason for some other health issues like gallbladder disease or liver disease.
Why Should I Consider Hormone Replacement Therapy?
In our detailed discussion it is clear that hormone replacement therapy has both positive and negative impacts on your overall health. But there is an important question at the moment: why should anyone go for hormone replacement therapy? There are certain conditions for which it becomes important to go for HRT treatment options. Let’s have a look.
Women with Severe Menopausal Symptoms
Those women who observe severity in their menopausal symptoms and because of this painful situation the quality of life is disturbing, HRT might be a good option. Sometimes when there are many benefits as compared to risk then many women actually for benefits options.
Women at High Risk of Osteoporosis
As we have mentioned earlier, hormone replacement therapy is helpful in your bone health. So if anyone has a family history of osteoporosis HRT may be the best choice to improve your quality of life from protecting your bone issues.
Women Having Early Menopause
Those women are actually at a higher level of risk of various health issues when they reach the age of 40. Besides that, those women who have removed their ovaries through a surgical process are also at the possible attack of various types of fatal diseases. In this whole picture hormone replacement therapy may be beneficial to minimize or even illuminate these risks.
Personal Examination
As every individual has different characteristics and diseases, the decision to go towards HRT is also personal. In Personalized treatment, the history of the patient and other important factors are counted and considered to use hormone replacement therapy.
Alternatives to Hormone Replacement Therapy
You can also use alternative treatment options in case HRT is not suitable for you. Here in the following we talk about those alternative therapies that you can consider.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are basically key to success in treating every type of disease and your overall help also. There are some important points that you can modify in your lifestyle in order to get maximum results as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Here some are as follows.
✓A balanced diet full of nutrients, calcium and vitamin D is really very important in the case of bone health.
✓By taking regular exercise you can get maximum results as in the case of HRT. Especially try to take weight bearing exercises for making your bones strong.
✓Try to manage stress by doing some exercises like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing. These types of techniques will help you to reduce breast cancer and make your life happier and healthier.
Non Hormonal Medicine
There are certain non hormonal medicines that can be used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Some of the common ones are as follows: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs and selective norepinephrine Reuptake inhibitors SNRIs. These types of medicine are extremely beneficial for your mood swings and hot flashes.
Herbal Supplements
You can also get maximum relief by taking herbal supplements. Some women use herbal supplements as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy and in their cases it really works. Some common and useful herbal supplements are red clover, black cohosh and soy isoflavones. In this scenario it is crucial to consult with your doctor before starting any supplements as in this case.
Alternative Therapies
In the case of Menopause for providing relief to women there are some alternative therapies that may also be used according to the consent of the doctor. These alternative therapies are biofeedback, acupuncture and some others. It is important to note here that the level of effectiveness is different according to the condition of the patient. Only a professional Healthcare provider can give you comprehensive guidance in this context.
Discussion With Your Healthcare Provider
It is of utmost importance to discuss your health issues especially in case of taking hormone replacement therapy. So here in the following you will be in a position to know how you can collect your symptoms for the final decision making process towards HRT.
Evaluate Your Symptoms
The first important thing for making a final decision about whether you are willing to take hormone replacement therapy or not is to assess your symptoms. Those women who are concerned with their menopausal symptoms need to estimate and collect symptoms first. Then analyze whether they are affecting your overall health and if affecting then what is the degree of complexity. For this purpose you can actually keep a diary with you in order to write down all the symptoms that you observe.
Review Your Medical History
It is better to check your family history and your personal information also. Is there any person in your family who has had breast cancer and other diseases like heart disease or osteoporosis? This information will give you many details to your doctor for taking any decision towards HRT.
Discuss Your Opinions
The best thing in case of choosing between HRT and other alternative treatment options is a comprehensive discussion with your doctor. Ask relevant questions and know what are the benefits and risk factors of hormone replacement therapy.
Trial Period
It is also found that some of the women use hormone replacement therapy as a trial period for the shortest period of time. By doing this they actually analyze their symptoms during that period and then decide what to do next.
Stay Informed
The last but not not the least point that is very important for consideration is to stay informed for each and every research which is taking place in recent times.
Conclusion
Hormone replacement therapy can be used to get maximum results in cases when women are experiencing severity in menopause and those who are at higher risk of osteoporosis. However it is important to note that HRT also has side effects that can cause severe complicated diseases. Now the question is when to use hormone replacement therapy? The final decision actually should be made on the condition of individuals. For this purpose medical history and risk factors are also important to be checked out.
With the help of implementing certain instructions as we have discussed in our complete article you can actually go for a better decision which is about your overall improvement in health. The basic goal here is to achieve your best health whether you use hormone replacement therapy or its alternative treatment options. Do all this but after proper discussion with your healthcare provider.