Hormone Replacement Therapy and its Various Types

HRT (Hormone replacement therapy, also referred to as hormone therapy, estrogen replacement therapy, or menopausal hormone therapy, is a treatment that uses the female hormones progesterone and estrogen to treat the symptoms of aging and menopause. Doctors prescribe the treatment during or after menopause.

After your periods have stopped, the level of your hormones decreases, causing uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness, and sometimes conditions like osteoporosis. The HRT replaces the hormones that your body is no longer capable of making. It is the most effective treatment or menopausal symptoms.

The Importance of Estrogen
You might think of pregnancy when you think of oestrogen. Estrogen plays an important role or preparing the uterus to receive the fertilized egg in women of child-bearing age. Estrogen has other uses in the body too, as it helps in raising the levels of good cholesterol, and also controls the manner in which your body utilizes calcium which is used to strengthen bone.

When is the Right Time to Tale Progesterone
If you still have your uterus, using estrogen alone without progesterone raises your risk for cancer of endometrium, the uterus lining . Since the cells from the uterus lining are not leaving your body during the menstruation any more, they may build up in your uterus and lead to cancer. Progesterone lowers this risk by thickening the lining.

Types of HRT
In general, doctors suggest that women who have undergone hysterectomy should ingest a low dose of estrogen. Estrogen is presented in different forms, but the most popular ones are the pill and the patch, but there is still the vaginal ring, spray or gel.

The Progestin Hormone Therapy
It is often referred to a combination therapy since it combines doses of estrogen and progestin, the synthetic form of progesterone. It is meant for women who still have their uterus.

The ideal candidates for HRT are those experiencing mild to severe menopausal symptoms and those with a family history of osteoporosis.On the contrary, those with breast cancer, liver disease, heart disease, or a history of blood clots as well as those without menopausal symptoms should not go for the HRT.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Regimes
There are various treatment regimes of HRT available depending on whether you are still in the early stages of the menopause or have had menopausal symptoms for some time. The most common are the Sequential of Cyclical and the Continuous HRT.

The Cyclical HRT is recommended for women taking the combined Hormone replacement therapy who have menopausal symptoms but have their periods. They are two types; the monthly HRT for women with regular periods and Three-monthly HRT for those with the irregular periods.

The continuous combined HRT is meant for women who are post-menopausal. It involves taking estrogen and progesterone daily without stopping.

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