Hormone Replacement Therapy – Everything to Know About the Treatment
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a medical treatment woman resort to after the onset of menopause. It is a condition when the body no longer produces estrogens in the required amount, and to maintain hormonal hemostasis, it is necessary to decide on the intake of conjugated drugs.
To make an important decision regarding National HRT it is recommended to consult the doctor and study everything related to HRT – its purpose, mechanism, contraindications, and side effects.
What’s more, you should also consider the advantages that it will bring you.
Menopause and Its Unpleasant Consequences
Hormone deficiency causes a lot of health problems since hormones are key elements in many physiological processes occurring in a female body. This is why estrogenic hormone therapy is used in gynecology, substituting a lack of these specific hormones in the body. Of course, the problem can occur at any age; however, women of 40 years and older are at higher risk.
In this case, there is a threat of infertility, developing dystrophy of the uterus and involution of the mammary glands. The following causes of this pathology are possible:
● Genetic predisposition, genetic defects of the hormonal or enzyme system, underdevelopment of the ovaries.
● Depression, a chronic stressful condition.
● Prolonged use of tranquilizers or antidepressants.
● Abuse of alcohol and nicotine.
● Physical exhaustion, a critically low body weight, as a result of which the dysfunction of the ovaries is observed and menstruation disappears.
● Disturbance of the pituitary-hypothalamic complex as a result of a tumor, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
Hormone replacement therapy is usually prescribed if the symptoms of estrogen deficiency significantly affect the quality of the woman’s life. It is a doctor who decides on a therapy type and medication scheme to be followed by a patient.
How HRT Help Women
Hormone replacement therapy in menopause is prescribed to eliminate such symptoms:
● General physical condition;
● Psycho-emotional disorders;
● Hyperhidrosis, especially at night;
● Hot flashes – a disorder in the vasomotor function;
● Fluctuation of blood pressure;
● Dryness, itching in the vagina; decreased libido; painful urination;
● Osteoporosis – a reduction of bone mass, the fragility of bones;
● Impairment of the state of the cardiovascular system.
● Mastopathy.
● Neoplasms in the organs of the reproductive system.
To cope with the condition, doctors usually prescribe two different types of HRT:
● Short-term – the doctor prescribes a medication course lasting from 12 to 24 months. Such treatment is aimed at alleviating the symptoms of menopause. It is not used when a woman is in a serious depressive condition or has a pathology of the organs.
● Prolonged – this treatment type suggests that the drugs are being taken for 2-4 years, or sometimes for up to 10 years. It is prescribed for women whose climax is accompanied by serious changes in the performance of the cardiovascular system, endocrine glands, functioning of the central nervous system, and acute manifestations of climacteric symptoms.
We strongly recommend you to consult your doctor before deciding on a therapy/ medication type. HRT is prescribed after a woman undergoes all medical tests aimed at choosing the most effective therapy for her.
