Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can ease the symptoms of menopause, normalizing hormone levels. Typically, when such treatment a woman receives daily low doses of estrogen. Women who do not pass hysterectomy also possible to give a synthetic progesterone. This therapy is called combined HRT.
Combined HRT
Combined HRT may be sequential or continuous. Sequential HRT is suitable for women during the premenopause, when they occasionally still happen menstrual bleeding. This therapy mimics the normal menstrual cycle. It focuses on a cycle of 28 days, in each of which a woman takes estrogen, but in the last 12-14 - estrogen and progesterone
Progesterone - norm and pathology
.
If a woman's periods are very rare, used HRT causes bleeding every three months. If there are no monthly for a year or more, you can move to a continuous HRT.
In most cases, when a woman takes HRT hormonal patches, but instead you can use the patches, small implants under the skin, vaginal rings, gels and nasal sprays for daily use.
The most common side effects of hormone therapy are nausea, breast tenderness, weight gain and fluid retention in the body. In most cases, the symptoms disappear in the first month of therapy. If they persist for a long time, you need to see a doctor - perhaps you should take a different kind of therapy.
Effectiveness
HRT eliminates the symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness, and, in the opinion of many women, in general, helps to feel much better. At the same time, it can not always help with mood swings
Mood swings in women - bad character or a disease?
That there are many women during menopause.
Risks associated with HRT
To simplify the analysis of the incidence appears in the form "number of cases per 10,000." This could mean either that the study duration of one year 10,000 women took part, and that the study lasted two years and was attended by 5,000 women, and so on.
- Breast cancer: breast cancer risk in women who are not taking HRT is 30 per 10,000, those who pass the HRT - 38 per 10,000.
- Heart disease: without HRT - 30 cases per 10,000, while HRT - 37 cases per 10,000.
- Stroke: without HRT or during placebo - 21 of 10000 at HRT - 29 of 10,000.
- Thrombus formation: placebo
Placebo - an effective tool for self-hypnosis
- 16 of 10000 at HRT - 34 of 10,000.
- Endometrial cancer: precise data on this disease is not present, but it is known that long-term HRT with estrogen alone increases the risk of abnormal formations in the endometrium. The use of combination hormone replacement therapy reduces but does not eliminate the risk of endometrial cancer.
Breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy
Experts have long said that HRT increases the risk of breast cancer. The risk becomes greater, the longer the therapy. After graduating from HRT and the risk starts to decrease approximately 5 years, it returned to the average for those who do not pass HRT.
In long-term studies it was found that:
- Approximately 32 out of 1,000 women older than 50 years without undergoing hormone replacement therapy before the age of 65 are diagnosed with breast cancer.
- In women older than 50 years undergoing hormone replacement therapy with estrogen alone, breast cancer is diagnosed in 33-34 cases in 1000, before the age of 65 years.
- Women who begin to take combined HRT at age 50 and continue for 5 years, the probability of developing breast cancer is 38 per 1,000.
- Women who take HRT only begin using estrogen at age 50 and continues its 10 years, the probability of developing breast cancer is 37 per 1,000.
- In 51 women from 1000, started to pass the combined HRT at age 50 and continued for 10 years, diagnosed with breast cancer.
On the other hand, breast cancer in women undergoing hormone replacement therapy, is usually diagnosed at an earlier stage, and it is easier to treat than that of women, do not use HRT. The mortality associated with breast cancer among women using and not using HRT, about the same.
However, experts do not recommend to pass long HRT. Ideally, for the treatment of menopause symptoms should be administered brief HRT; the chosen method of treatment should be reviewed no less than once a year.
In addition, HRT can cause the formation of benign tumors in the breast. In most cases, they are not dangerous, but when they occur it is necessary to pass a thorough medical examination.
Other treatments for symptoms of menopause
Tibolone (Livial) - is a synthetic steroid hormone which possesses some properties of estrogen and progesterone (and testosterone). It helps to cope with hot flashes, dryness and irritation of the vaginal mucosa and protects against osteoporosis. It is assumed that it is also able to increase the libido. Tibolone increases the risk of breast cancer to about the same level as that of HRT with estrogen.
Clonidine was originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure, but in small doses can be used to relieve hot flashes.
Estrogen creams and suppositories can help reduce vaginal dryness
Vaginal dryness: Causes and Symptoms
. The same property has a vaginal ring that is inserted into the vagina for three months, where it slowly rolls into the body small doses of estrogen.
How to ease the symptoms of menopause without medicine?
- Regular exercise, even a daily walk for 20-30 minutes, significantly relieve the symptoms of menopause. They improve the overall health and help you better cope with stress.
- Try each day to consume at least 1,500 milligrams of calcium. Ideally it should not come from food supplements and foodstuffs.
- Eat a light, healthy foods - fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cereals.
- Smoking and alcohol abuse may not only aggravate the symptoms of menopause, but also will have a detrimental effect on overall health. It is strongly recommended to give up these habits.
The natural process
There is a tendency to think of menopause as a disease, and dangerous for a woman to state. This is fundamentally wrong. Menopause - the usual, normal phase, which a woman goes through in their lifetime.
Menopause can affect your mood worse than the stress that you are exposed to in everyday life. Moreover, it can not be dangerous to health than a sedentary lifestyle, excessive caloric food, salt and alcohol, high cholesterol and hypertension. The damage from the effects of these factors accumulated over the years and often it becomes especially pronounced during menopause. Blame only the natural process unfair.
