Estrogen and progesterone are hormones produced by the ovaries. These hormones play an important role in women’s health and contribute to many bodily functions, including thickening the lining of the uterus to prepare for the possible implantation of a fertilized egg, influencing the way the body uses calcium and preventing osteoporosis, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, keeping the vagina healthy, regulating blood pressure, and improving mood and sleep.
When women are around 50 years old, they go through menopause, which occurs when the levels of these hormones decrease, causing the woman to stop ovulating. This means they no longer experience a menstrual period, in addition to many other symptoms.
Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sexual discomfort, depression, insomnia, dry skin, hair loss, weight changes, and urinary incontinence. To help relieve some of these effects of menopause, doctors may recommend hormone replacement therapy, which supplements estrogen and progesterone levels.
Hormone Therapies Improve Women’s Health and Wellness
Women who are experiencing the negative effects of menopause should talk to their doctor to determine if they are a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy.
There are three stages of menopause, and hormone replacement therapy can be different depending on the stage a woman is currently experiencing.
- Perimenopause: This is the transition period between the start of menopause symptoms and one year after a woman’s final menstrual period.
- Menopause: When one year has passed since a woman’s final menstrual period, menopause is confirmed. In both perimenopause and menopause, hormone replacement therapy is effective in providing relief from various symptoms.
- Postmenopause: This stage encompasses all the years after menopause. For postmenopausal women, especially those over the age of 60, hormone replacement therapy can increase their risk of blood clots and stroke, so most doctors recommend using hormone replacement therapy for only a short amount of time for these patients.
The specifics of hormone replacement therapy also vary if a woman has had a hysterectomy. If she doesn’t have a uterus, she’ll only need estrogen, not progesterone. If her uterus is still intact, she’ll need progesterone, as well, in order to decrease the risk of endometrial cancer.
Even if you’re not currently going through menopause, you can still receive benefits from hormone therapies. Many aspects of women’s health are greatly affected by hormones, so getting your body’s hormone levels back to where they should be is an effective way to improve your overall wellness.
As with all medical treatments, there are risks associated with hormone replacement therapy, so it’s important to follow doctors’ advice to reduce these risks as much as possible. In general, it’s best to opt for the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time.
Relieve the Symptoms of Menopause
Hormone replacement therapy provides many benefits, including:
- Decreased hot flashes, night sweats, and itchy skin
- Relief from vaginal dryness
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis and broken bones
- Improved oral health
- Improved mood
- Lowered risk of colon cancer and diabetes
- Improvement in joint pains
Hormone therapies are administered in many different ways. Doctors can prescribe systemic products, which circulate throughout the bloodstream, affecting all parts of the body. These products include oral tablets, patches, gels, sprays, and injections. On the other hand, local or non-systemic products affect only a specific part of the body, usually the vagina. These treatments are available as creams, rings, or tablets.
Hormone Replacement Therapy at Elevate Wellness and Vitality
At Elevate Wellness and Vitality, we are experts in women’s health. Our team of medical professionals can help you find relief from your menopause systems through hormone replacement therapy or bioidentical hormone therapy. Whether you’re suffering from hot flashes, discomfort, night sweats, or any other conditions related to your body’s changing hormone levels, we can help you achieve balance and get your life back to normal.
If you have questions about hormone replacement therapy or want to know more about what we can do for you, don’t hesitate to contact us or schedule an appointment today.
