Hormone Replacement Therapy and its Various Types
HRT, also the hormone therapy, menopausal hormone therapy or the estrogen replacement therapy is a method that is used to treat symptoms associated with aging and menopause. Doctors prescribe the treatment during or after menopause.
After the end o your periods, the level of hormones in your body falls causing uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal dryness and conditions like osteoporosis. The HRT replaces the hormones that your body is no longer capable of making. It is the most effective treatment or menopausal symptoms.
Why the Body Needs Estrogen
When you think of estrogen, most likely you think about pregnancy. In women who are in the age of childbearing, estrogen helps the uterus to get ready to receive the fertilized egg. Estrogen also has other roles, like controlling how your body uses calcium, which strengthens bones and raises the level of good cholesterol in the blood.
When is the Right Time to Tale Progesterone
If you have your womb, it is not advisable to take estrogen without progesterone as it grows your cancer of the endometrium risk. Since the cells from the uterus lining are not leaving your body during the menstruation any more, they may build up in your uterus and lead to cancer. To lower that risk; progesterone thickens the uterus lining.
Types of HRT
In general, doctors suggest that women who have undergone hysterectomy should ingest a low dose of estrogen. Estrogen is available in many forms; the daily pill and patch are the most common, but the hormone can still be found in the forms of vaginal ring, gel or spray.
Estrogen/Progesterone/Progestin Therapy
This mostly called the combination therapy as it combines doses of estrogen and progestin. The treatment is designed for women who still have their uterus.
Women who have acute to severe menopausal symptoms, as well as those with a family history of osteoporosis, are ideal candidates for hormone replacement therapy.On the contrary, those with breast cancer, liver disease, heart disease, or a history of blood clots as well as those without menopausal symptoms should not go for the HRT.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Regimes
There are various treatment regimes of HRT available depending on whether you are still in the early stages of the menopause or have had menopausal symptoms for some time. The two most common types are the cyclical HRT 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. They are two types; the monthly HRT for women with regular periods and Three-monthly HRT for those with the irregular periods.
Continuous combined HRT is for women who are post-menopausal meaning that they haven’t had their period for a year. It involves taking estrogen and progesterone daily without stopping.
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