October 15, 2018
Hormone Pills for Women: Are You a Good Candidate for HRT?
Life in a woman’s body is a rollercoaster. Throughout most of your life, you’re dealing with periods intruding on your life every four weeks. You think you hate them, but when they do stop, in walks menopause which is a whole different beast.
Before, during, and after menopause, a woman’s body is a flurry of hormones that all affect your body in a different way. When things get out of whack, you feel it. That’s why hormone pills for women are so popular.
How do you know if you can get relief from hormone replacement therapy? Our experts are here to answer that question.
Hormone replacement therapy isn’t a cure-all, but a way to treat specific issues. Here are some indicators that it might help you during or around menopause:
Menopause happens when your ovaries stop producing eggs and releasing estrogen. Without that estrogen your body’s been getting for decades, your body develops a variety of symptoms.
Hot flashes and night sweats are among the most noticeable and well-known menopause symptoms. If you’re in your late 40s or early 50s, these symptoms along with a lack of menstruation are sure-fire signs of menopause.
Hot flashes and night sweats always seem to happen at the most inopportune times. They can interfere with your ability to do your job and enjoy social gatherings. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, can often help.
Fatigue is another major problem during menopause. Your body is struggling to adapt to the hormonal changes, so it doesn’t have the energy for much else. By rebalancing your hormones, HRT can help you catch your breath and find the energy you need.
Everyone’s metabolism slows as they get older, making it harder and harder to maintain a healthy weight. When a woman hits menopause, though, that problem makes a sharp uptick.
It’s a cruel reality that the older you get, the more your weight affects your health as well. If you’re making healthy lifestyle choices and sticking to them but your weight isn’t responding, HRT might be able to help.
For some women, the physical symptoms of menopause pale in comparison to the emotional ones. The lack of estrogen can depression as well as rapid and extreme mood swings.
Emotional symptoms are just as much out of your control as physical symptoms are. In the same way, physical treatment with HRT could help you reduce or get rid of them.
People might not talk about them as much, but the sexual effects of menopause are real and disruptive. Many women see their libidos take a nosedive and they suddenly have little or no interest in sex.
When you do feel the desire for sex, or for women who don’t see a change in their libido, sex in menopause can be uncomfortable too. The menopause can cause vaginal dryness that makes intercourse less enjoyable.
The good news is that hormone pills for women could turn around both of those issues.
There are plenty of menopause symptoms you notice, but the symptoms you don’t notice can be even more damaging. The hormonal changes of menopause can lead to a serious decline in bone density. For too many women, that makes them vulnerable to fractures.
Keep in mind that if you already have diagnosed osteoporosis, you should work with a specialist to get treatment. However, if you want to lower your risk for osteoporosis, HRT may be able to help.
In some women who have osteoporosis, HRT can complement their other treatments. Make sure you talk to your osteoporosis specialist about this first, though.
As with any medical treatment, there are some health conditions that disqualify you from HRT.
Women who have a history of cancer in the breasts, ovaries, or endometrium shouldn’t take hormone replacement therapy. Because HRT can increase the risk for blood clots and stroke in high-risk patients, women who have a history of these conditions aren’t HRT candidates.
If you have liver disease or decreased liver function, HRT might also not be a good fit for you. Before you start treatment, our medical professionals will discuss your medical history and make sure HRT is a good fit.
If it looks like HRT can help you with your menopause symptoms above, more information is always helpful before you make a medical decision. Here are a few points to consider if you’re thinking about HRT:
Timing matters when it comes to HRT. In general, women who start hormone replacement therapy within ten years of menopause starting tend to get better results with fewer side effects.
Some women try to “tough it out” before they seek treatment for their menopause symptoms. In reality, the sooner you take action the more likely it is to help.
HRT is different for women who have and have not had a hysterectomy. For women who have had a hysterectomy, HRT tends to consist of estrogen alone.
However, estrogen therapy by itself can cause excessive growth in the uterine lining. For that reason, women who have a uterus will take estrogen along with progesterone to prevent that excessive growth.
Whether you’re a candidate for estrogen and progesterone or estrogen alone, there are several ways to take hormone therapy. There are multiple types of hormone pills. You could also opt for vaginal gel instead if you’re only having select symptoms.
Hormone pills for women can work wonders for menopause symptoms. However, they’re still regulated medications, so you need a medical professional to determine the best course of treatment for you.
If you’re ready to get started, contact our HRT experts to set up a consultation and discuss your options.
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