9 Things You Need to Know About Hormone Replacement Therapy For Women

Post-menopausal women who receive hormone replacement therapy have half the chances of contracting coronary disease compared to those who don’t. Estrogen replacement through hormone replacement therapy plays a huge role in the management and prevention of osteoporosis.

As we age, we experience exciting opportunities and difficult challenges, especially regarding our bodies. For most women, one that gives them a pause is menopause. This is a time that marks the end of the menstrual cycle, but it can bring about unwelcome symptoms due to falling hormone levels.

For years, doctors have prescribed hormone replacement therapy to treat menopause symptoms. It’s still effective in reducing the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.

Here are a few things you need to know about hormone replacement therapy for women.

1. Better Control of Mood Swings

If you have trouble with mood swings, chances are that it might be due to hormonal changes. Feeling irritable for no reason or not being in control of your emotions can be frustrating for women who are already in menopause.

The good thing is that hormonal replacement therapy can help stabilize your mood swings. Bringing your estrogen and other hormones to their optimum level is how you accomplish stabling mood swings.

2. Find the Right Doctor

If you believe that you’re the right candidate for hormonal replacement therapy, it’s vital that you find the right doctor. Just like any other service, finding the right doctor is key to getting your desired results. If your obstetrician-gynecologist isn’t familiar with hormonal replacement, or you’re not comfortable, you can always find a new one.

Take note that hormone regulation is a balancing act. It’s essential to seek the help of someone who has done it before.

3. Be Conversant with Bio-identical

Do you have any knowledge about bio-identical? There are tons of misconceptions when it comes to bio-identical.

There are those who believe that the hormones are natural and safe compared to other hormones approved by the FDA. However, this is subject to debate.

Different marketing campaigns brand these hormones like the ones naturally produced in the body.

It’s important that you check with a medical expert to determine whether bio-identical is a viable treatment option. Also, seek medical attention if you’ve got chronic joint pain, mood swings or poor sleep quality

4. Can You Get Custom Hormones?

If you’re hesitant to try the hormones because you want to treat specific problems, there’s no cause for alarm. If you’ve vaginal dryness, you can treat the condition using hormone replacement therapy that only works in this area.

5. Compounded Hormones Aren’t FDA Tested

Some women may knowingly or unknowingly choose to use compounded hormones. However, most are worried about using them due to their lack of FDA approval. The hormones are tailored to each patient needs, and are usually put together by a pharmacist.

They’re put together specifically for each person, they lack the testing and supervision of the FDA. Also, the compounding of the hormones varies from pharmacy to pharmacy. This is why some women choose to avoid them.

6. You Don’t Have to Get Your Hormones Tested

Many people think that it’s necessary for a doctor to check hormone levels before prescribing the right dosage. However, this isn’t the case.

Medical organizations and doctors don’t believe that it’s necessary to get tested before you begin hormone replacement.

However, they’ll recommend that you get your thyroid checked if it has the same symptoms as those of menopause. This eliminates any possibilities of thyroid condition before moving to hormone replacement treatment.

7. Start Pre-Menopause

The cause of menopause is due to the lack of a menstrual cycle. The symptoms can have a significant impact on a woman’s body, especially their emotions.

The shift in hormones will have some women embrace hormone replacement therapy. However, it’s essential for them to start pre-menopause as this prevents imbalances early on.

8. Overactive Bladder

A lot of women suffer from overactive bladder. An overactive bladder is a medical condition that causes the urge to urinate with no control.  While most women feel self-conscious about this condition, hormone replacement therapy is effective in

managing the symptoms associated with the condition. Some of the women who suffer from overactive bladder say that the symptoms tend to get worse as they approach menopause.

9. An Annual Doctors Visit

Older women have a higher risk of developing menopause health-related complications. Therefore, they’ve to visit a doctor at least once a year. A medical expert is in a better position to advise whether or not to continue with hormone replacement therapy.

It’s also best that you speak to your doctor about any concerns you may have about the treatment.

Learn More about Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women

What stands out about hormone replacement therapy for women is that it can ease the negative effects of menopause.

Some of the symptoms of reduction of hormone levels aren’t easy to spot until you see the side effects. This is common in the case of osteoporosis.

Getting a medical check-up once a year can help with the onset of menopause, and avoid imbalanced hormones in the future. Depending on the symptoms, direct medication is necessary. It is especially highly effective for a condition such as an over-reactive bladder.

Are the menopause-related symptoms weighing you down? Contact us today to book a consultation session and to get professional assistance to ease the symptoms.