How Can Hormone Replacement Therapy Help Women
Hormone replacement therapy is a type of treatment for those women who have reached their menopause or have already passed it. In the HRT, small doses of one or two female hormones are given to these women.
This therapy is also known as ‘the change of life’. At around 50 years of age, a woman has her menstrual periods very frequent. When the period stops altogether then it is called the Menopause. It is the time when the ovaries in women have no eggs so they can not conceive children. Though menopause is a natural process but it is associated with many undesirable changes such as disturbance in sleep, dryness of vagina and hot flashes.
Women can have serious health problems such as heart disease and stroke. There is also bone loss which leads to osteoporosis and fracture in bones. In Hormone Replacement Therapy, the estrogen hormone is replaced which is normally taken away by the natural aging process. This treatment is a very commonly prescribed treatment in the USA.
This therapy protects the women against the health risks caused by menopause and also eases the symptoms of menopause in women. Though many women go through this therapy but this might not be the best choice for each one. It is better to consult an efficient health care professional before going for the Hormone Replacement Therapy. The therapy is available in different forms such as tablets, skin patches, implants and creams.
Different Benefits of Hormonal Replacement Therapy
Those who are planning to go for the Hormonal Replacement Therapy must know what the benefits of this therapy are. The main reason to go for this therapy is to ease down the menopausal symptoms in women. The symptoms are hot flashes which can be at any time of the day and normally lasts for a few moments to several minutes. Red marks could appear on the upper body for a short time and the face and the neck may be flushed.
Women who get flushes at night could perspire a lot. The vaginal wall becomes dry, thinner and less elastic without the estrogen hormone so intercourse could be painful. Some of the male hormone testosterone is present in all the women and the level of estrogen becomes less in women around the menopause or after the menopause so the effect of the male hormone in women becomes prominent as a result the women have hair development on the face.
HRT protects from Osteoporosis
Hormone Replacement Therapy is very much helpful in protecting the women against osteoporosis which makes the bone more porous and the bones gradually become weak and brittle. After the menopause, the bone loss happens with an increased rate. The reason is that the estrogen hormone protects the skeleton as it helps the bone-forming cells active.
Studies have shown that the women who take estrogen during the Hormone Replacement Therapy have fewer bone fractures compared to those who do not go through the HRT. After menopause the women are at higher risks of having heart diseases. As the estrogen level changes after menopause the fat levels of the blood changes also. Because of this formation and deposition of fats, the arteries also hardened and the chances of heart attacks increase too.
When estrogen is given during a HRT, the change in the fat level can be controlled. Estrogen takes care about the heart by providing other benefits too such as it reduces the LDL cholesterol in the blood and at the same time increases the HDL cholesterol which is considered as good cholesterol. Estrogen helps in lowering of blood pressure at night and keeps the blood vessels open.
Other benefits of Hormonal Replacement Therapy
Some other additional benefits of the Hormone Replacement Therapy are also there. Researches have shown that estrogen protect against memory loss and is also responsible for improved learning. The effects are observed in the Alzheimer patients also.
So Hormone Therapy is beneficial for mental functions too. After menopause, HRT in women reduces the risks of colorectal cancer and helps in controlling the blood sugar level. HRT helps the body in having the correct level of estrogen hormone so the lining of the urethra is restored and it helps in supporting the urethra hence helps in controlling incontinence. After having the HRT, the women who had menopause had lesser incidences of migraines.
During menopause many women may have increase in urinary tract infections but after the hormone therapy, these women could resist the infections. Women undergoing the HRT have lesser chances of loosing their teeth as estrogen is helpful in fighting the bone loss. HRT is also helpful in improved vision in the post-menopausal women thus can prevent the diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration, which could lead to blindness.
Risks of HRT
There are certain risks associated with the HRT. These happen due to the estrogen hormone. Estrogen reduces the viscosity (thickness) of the blood thus it could affect the clotting of blood. Use of estrogen causes blood clot in the veins and sometimes these clots may reach to the lungs.
In case the women who wants to go for the HRT ever had vein clot or cases of pulmonary embolism (the clot reaching the lungs), the HRT must be considered as a choice. According to the experts when a woman is taking the HRT for 5 years or less than that then there are no risks associated. The risks areas which need to be looked into before taking the HRT are various. The women who take HRT might have increased chances of asthma.
Women undergoing HRT and taking estrogen in high doses have greater chances of developing gall stones. High doses of estrogens may cause formation of fibroids within the uterus and enhance the painful conditions within the uterus. Some women do have side effects of HRT such as nauseam tenderness of breast for which medicines can be taken, bloating and retention of fluid. Some women have bleeding in vagina for which biopsies may be done or ultrasound studies are recommended also. Regular checkups are needed in women who are undergoing the HRT.
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