Should You Try Hormone Replacement Therapy During Menopause?
February 18th, 2010 | by Kim Allarie |Some fortunate women are unaffected by the physical symptoms of menopause. But there are lots more who are afflicted with menopause symptoms that interfere significantly with their daily lives. A lot of these women will start to wonder whether they ought to be using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to deal with their condition.
A woman’s body stops making estrogen during menopause. This results in the emergence of various symptoms which have been typically linked to menopause. A lot of these can have a negative effect on your day to day life. Therefore, quite a few women opt to alleviate their discomfort through the use of hormone replacement therapy to replace the lost estrogen. However, there are a few issues that must be taken into consideration before you go ahead. Despite the fact that HRT can be a blessing for some people, it may be a curse for others. This treatment has been shown to help preserve strong bones and prevent heart problems. However it may also heighten the risk of breast cancer. What’s more, it often leads to side effects that may be very severe. Loss of memory, sleep problems and hot flashes are merely a few of them.
You will find two ways of looking at the use of hormone replacement therapy. Research demonstrates that hormone replacement therapy is very useful at easing many of the symptoms of menopause. Yet some think that women who aren’t undergoing any symptoms may be subjected to reduced physical function and lower levels of energy with hormone replacement therapy. A number of women also decide not to use HRT because of the prospective cancer risk which has been linked to this treatment. Other people, however, believe that the advantages of hormone replacement therapy are more significant than the risk of cancer, and their health care providers back them up. This therapy seems to offer the promise of protection against osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, and in addition enhances the quality of life.
Lately, there have been reports of health dangers associated with some kinds of menopause medication. If you have been using either Primpro or Premarin, you may want to look at other alternatives. Or try a natural form of estrogen. Other natural techniques for relieving menopause discomfort entail eating properly, stress management and taking natural progesterone products. These therapies offer significant relief for menopause symptoms such as night sweats and hot flashes, and sometimes completely eliminate them.
Studies are continuing to try to determine the effectiveness of HRT over an extended period of time. However, all too often the research reaches conflicting conclusions. This leaves women in the uncomfortable position of deciding whether or not the negative aspects of hormone replacement therapy are worth it. Ultimately, whether or not to use hormone replacement therapy is a choice you have to make on your own.
Do you think you might be experiencing early menopause? If so, you need to know what the symptoms are and how to manage them. Visit the Menopause Symptoms site for the advice you need to help you through this stressful time of life.
