Hormone Replacement Therapy

May 29

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is administration of external hormones for treatment of menopausal symptoms in women. Let’s look into the details of HRT.

Menopausal disorders form an important part of diseases associated with women’s health. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) refers to the therapeutic use of exogenous hormones in order to substitute those hormones that the body fails to produce naturally. Generally, HRT is used to treat menopausal symptoms in women, resulting from abnormal production of sex hormones. HRT is also called menopausal hormone therapy or estrogen replacement therapy.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Menopause (ending of menstrual cycle) marks the process of aging in a woman’s life. Usually, natural menopause happens between ages of 45 to 54. In fact, estrogen and progesterone are the two main sex hormones produced by ovaries, which regulate menstruation. About 3-5 years before menopause (perimenopause), the functions of the ovaries deteriorate, resulting in the abnormal production of sex hormones. Hormone levels go up and down, thus disturbing the normal menstrual cycle. Lack of estrogen also increases the risk of osteoporosis and heart diseases. Overall, there are many problems observed at the time of menopause.

Some of the symptoms of menopause are irregular menstruation, hot flashes (feeling of intense heat with rapid heartbeat and sweating), vaginal dryness, fat redistribution and sometimes, depression and lack of concentration. Symptoms can be mild or severe and may last for several months to even years. These symptoms can be treated with HRT in which a group of medications is prescribed for supplementing hormone levels so as to restore the hormonal functions of the body. Other benefits of HRT include preventing osteoporosis, maintaining skin thickness and reducing wrinkles.

In hormone replacement therapy, estrogen and progesterone hormones are used. Progestins are synthetic progesterone that can be used instead of progesterone. For women who have had a hysterectomy (removal of uterus), only estrogen is prescribed and is referred to as unopposed estrogen therapy. In case of women who have not undergone hysterectomy, estrogen in combination with progesterone is prescribed.

Dosage of the hormones can be taken in two ways – sequentially combined and continuous combined. In sequentially combined, estrogen is taken everyday and progestins are taken 10-14 days for every month or two, whereas both hormones are taken daily without any breaks in case of continuous schedule. Hormones can be taken in many ways depending upon the specific purpose of using. Some of the common ways of delivering hormone are tablets, gels, creams (progesterone cream) and vaginal rings. They can also be given via skin patches or intrauterine devices (IUDs) and sometimes through injections.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Risks

Studies conducted in 2002 have found out that HRT is associated with certain risks, such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, vaginal bleeding, liver diseases, stroke and heart attack depending upon lifestyle and medical history of the woman. Other common side effects of HRT include weight gain, breast enlargement, mood swings, skin irritation, nausea and headaches.

It is observed that hormone replacement therapy usually relieves from natural menopausal symptoms for about one to two years. For those women with oophorectomy (surgical removal of ovaries) or premature ovarian failure, HRT can be followed until the age that normal menopause is likely to happen.

One should be aware about the benefits and the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy. It is advisable to consult and seek advice from a physician before actually taking HRT. It is recommended to take lower doses of HRT for a minimum period, since it has been suggested that the risks of HRT outweigh its benefits in some women.