Hormone Replacement Therapy
Do I need hormone replacement therapy?
Women entering menopause sometimes encounter severe symptoms. Hot flashes and vaginal pain often plaque menopausal women when their bodies stop making estrogen. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to ease these symptoms and has the added benefit of preventing bone loss and reducing fracture risks in the postmenopausal stage.
Once routinely used, HRT has been discovered to carry some risks. Each patient requires an assessment for her individual risks before starting HRT and regular monitoring during treatment. The risks vary and depend on several factors, including the type of hormone therapy, dosage, length of treatment, and your personal health risks. With all factors evaluated and weighing the risks versus the benefits, the physicians at MaxHealth Family, Internal, & Sports Medicine will help you decide which, if any, HRT treatment is the best for you.
The two types of estrogen therapy include systematic hormone therapy and low-dose vaginal products.
With systematic estrogen, the dose of estrogen is higher and is distributed throughout a larger portion of the body. This type of estrogen is available in pill, ring, gel, cream, spray, or skin patches and treats the common symptoms of menopause.
With low-dose vaginal products, the dose of estrogen is lower to minimize the amount of estrogen introduced into the body. This type comes in ring, tablet, or cream form and only treats vaginal or urinary symptoms of menopause. Progesterone is typically also prescribed with this form of estrogen for patients who still have their uterus.
Text 817-663-8162 or call 817-355-8000 to discuss your HRT options.