Is Hormone Therapy Worth the Potential Risks?
There are some lucky women who never experience the ill effects of menopause. But there are lots more who have menopause symptoms that interfere greatly with their everyday lives. Most of these women will reach a point where they wonder whether hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is worth considering.
A woman’s body stops producing estrogen during menopause. This leads to the occurrence of various symptoms that are typically associated with menopause. A lot of these can impact negatively on your day to day life. Therefore, a lot of women choose to relieve their symptoms by using HRT to replace the lost estrogen. But you need to consider the overall picture before you decide.
Some women consider HRT to be the answer to their prayers; for others, it’s bad news. It has been shown to help maintain strong bones and prevent heart disease. But it can also increase the risk of breast cancer. Also, it can lead to side effects that can be quite severe. These include, but are not limited to, hot flashes, sleep disturbances and memory problems.
There are two schools of thought on using HRT. Studies show that hormone replacement therapy is very effective at easing many of the symptoms of menopause. But some believe that women who aren’t experiencing any symptoms may experience decreased physical function and lower energy levels with HRT.
Many women decide against using HRT because they are concerned about the risk of developing cancer. But other women, along with their doctors, feel that the beneficial effects of HRT outweigh the cancer risk. HRT is believed to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, and improve overall quality of life.
In recent years, there have been reports of health risks associated with some brands of menopause medication. If you have been taking either Primpro or Premarin, you might want to look at alternatives. Or consider utilizing a natural form of estrogen.
Natural ways to deal with menopause include eating a proper diet, managing your stress, and using natural progesterone supplements. These remedies offer considerable relief for menopause symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, and sometimes completely eradicate them.
Studies are ongoing to determine the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy over a long period of time. The problem is that the reports are often contradictory. This leaves women in the uncomfortable position of deciding whether or not the risks of hormone replacement therapy are worth it. In the end, you will have to make the decision yourself whether or not to use HRT.
