Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps in curing symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. There are several symptoms that can cause hormone damage and can call for its replacement. The causes could be the patient's age, family medical history, and personal medical history that may impact their decision to take hormone therapy. Take an appointment and meet your hormone replacement therapy Fresno, CA healthcare provider and discuss your issues while checking about the risks and benefits involved in HRT, the different forms of HRT and alternative options.
What is hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is appropriate for women with indications of menopause, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Most often, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the term providers use when a patient receiving the treatment is below 40 years old.
As a woman transits to menopause, their ovaries stop producing high levels of estrogen, which can cause symptoms like:
- Hot flashes.
- Leaking pee.
- Mood swings, misery or prickliness.
- Night perspirations.
- Vaginal dryness and
- Painful sexual intercourse.
When you undergo HRT, it recreates the hormones which your body is not creating naturally. You will get plenty of relief from the symptoms mentioned above once the hormone levels rise. HRT can even improve bone loss (osteopenia and osteoporosis), a common ailment in people assigned female at birth (AFAB) lacking enough estrogen.
Whether one requires taking HRT has to be decided after consultation with a hormone specialist Fresno, CA. Though hormone therapy lessens menopausal signs, it has certain risks.
Distinction between hormone therapy and HRT
Hormone therapy (HT) is a more general word that may be involved in any treatment involving hormones—for instance, HT for cancer or to treat specific hormonal imbalances. When people use hormone replacement therapy, they're mainly talking about menopause.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) usually means the hormones are replacing the natural hormones that the human body is no longer making, especially for people in their 30s or early 40s.
Types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
There are two types of HRT:
1] Estrogen therapy
Estrogen therapy applies in taking only estrogen, which comes in many forms, like pills, patches, gels, rings, creams, tablets and sprays. Doctors recommend estrogen-only therapy for patients who experienced a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus). It happens because estrogen taken alone has lesser risks than HT, which employs a mix of estrogen and progesterone.
2] Combination therapy (estrogen-progesterone therapy or EPT)
It is a blend of estrogen and progesterone (also called progestin, which is the name for all hormones that act like progesterone, including synthetic ones). People with a uterus are given this treatment. Progestins help decrease the risk of uterine cancer, which is higher when one takes only estrogen. During the reproductive years, cells from the uterine lining are cleared during menstruation.
Conclusion:
When the woman stops getting their period, and the lining stops shedding, estrogen can generate an increase of cells in the uterus that can cause cancer. Combination therapy comes in several forms like pills, skin patches and an IUD (intrauterine device) that doctors insert inside your vagina.
