Hormone Replacement Therapy and its Various Types
HRT (Hormone replacement therapy, also referred to as hormone therapy, estrogen replacement therapy, or menopausal hormone therapy, is a treatment that uses the female hormones progesterone and estrogen to treat the symptoms of aging and menopause. Often, doctors prescribe it during or after menopause.
After your periods have stopped, the level of your hormones decreases, causing uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness, and sometimes conditions like osteoporosis. Hormone replacement therapy re(laces hormones your body no longer produces. The HRT is the most effective treatment for symptoms of menopause.
The Use of Estrogen in the Body
You might think of pregnancy when you think of oestrogen. In women who are in the age of childbearing, estrogen helps the uterus to get ready to receive the fertilized egg. Estrogen has other uses in the body too, as it helps in raising the levels of good cholesterol, and also controls the manner in which your body utilizes calcium which is used to strengthen bone.
When is the Right Time to Tale Progesterone
For anyone that still has their uterus, taking estrogen in the absence of progesterone increases their risk for cancer of the endometrium. The fact that the endometrium cells are no longer leaving your body during your period, they may build up in the womb and lead to cancer. Progesterone lowers this risk by thickening the lining.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Types
In general, doctors suggest that women who have undergone hysterectomy should ingest a low dose of estrogen. There are many forms of the estrogen hormone with the most common being the patch and the pill, but there are also other forms available such as the vaginal ring, gel or spray.
Estrogen/Progesterone/Progestin Therapy
Also referred to like the combination therapy since it combines doses of estrogen and the synthetic form of progesterone, progestin. The treatment is designed for women who still have their uterus.
Women with a family history of osteoporosis as well as those experiencing mild to severe symptoms of menopause are all candidates for hormone replacement therapy.On the other hand, women that have breast cancer, heart disease, liver disease, or a history of blood clots as well as those without the menopausal symptoms should not go to the hormone replacement therapy.
HRT Regimes
Different treatment regimes of hormone replacement therapy are available depending on whether you are in the early stages of menopause or you have had the menopausal symptoms for some time. The common regimes are the Cyclical or Sequential and the Continuous HRT.
The sequential HRT is for women using the combined HRT who have the menopausal symptoms but are still having their periods. Cyclical HRT is of two types; the Monthly HRT for women with regular periods and the three-monthly HRT for irregular periods.
The continuous combined HRT is meant for women who are post-menopausal. It involves taking estrogen and progesterone daily without stopping.