Topic Home

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has many advantages and the main ones are to do with improving the quality of life for menopausal, or post menopausal women.

A vast majority of women positively benefit from taking HRT as their hot flushes cease, their excessive sweating and skin itchiness disappears, sex is something to be enjoyed once again and - on a serious note, they are significantly reducing their chances of getting osteoporosis or heart disease. Not only that, but there seems to be an increase for the better in their energy and vitality levels - they look good and feel good too! No more aches and pains and their skin and hair texture has vastly improved too.

That said, there are, however, disadvantages and problems associated with taking HRT and any woman considering undertaking a course of HRT needs to be well informed with regard to these issues.

Women who start taking HRT but then decide to give up mid treatment do so for the following reasons primarily:

1) a fear of cancer

2) they don't like the return of the monthly periods

3) the requirement to take pills daily or to change a patch every few days or so

4) some women give up because taking HRT has provided them with no significant benefits

Finding a suitable HRT treatment can tend to be a bit of a hit and miss affair. There are many variations and combinations of progestogen and oestrogen available on the market. If you find that the one you are currently taking does not provide any significant relief, or you find that the side-effects greatly outweigh the benefits to date (remember HRT can take a few months to settle in to your system but the side-effects can kick in soon after you have started the treatment) - then it is simply a matter of trying out another treatment in the hope that you will soon come upon one that is perfect for you.

The majority of women who stop their treatment have only tried one type of HRT treatment. Further, these tend to be women who have received little or no support or information from their doctors as to what they can realistically expect from HRT, particularly in the initial stages. Studies show that the number of women giving up on HRT tends to be lower, if they have received proper support and accurate information from their doctor. This sets their expectations at a more realistic level so that at the first sign of side-effects they don't abandon all hope.

The need for regular gynaecological check-ups may also be off putting for some women.

Many doctors surgeries these days tend to have at least one female doctor in house - so it is just a matter of making an appointment to see the female doctor instead of the male doctor. Also, there are many ladies only clinics, the Well Woman clinic being one of them, in which all staff are female. So that could be another option. Also, when visiting a Well Woman clinic, you do not require a referral from your regular doctor and can just make an appointment to see them directly. Checkups tend to involve a smear test, a check up of your breasts and look at your blood pressure, cholesterol and possible weight.

In any case, it is worth your while to have these regular checkups as they could be potentially life saving: they may show up problems at an early stage, which usually means they can be effectively dealt with and treated.

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) is becomingly increasingly popular over time.

As well as being used to alleviate the problems associated with the menopause, due to a lack of oestrogen, it is proving to be very successful as a preventative medicine.

HRT tends to be suitable for the majority of women and can start to take effect in as little as a few days after treatment has started.

Women, who previously, suffered their menopausal symtoms in quiet desperation, are greatly relieved and amazed to have finally discovered a treatment that eliminates their hot flushes, excessive sweats, headaches and joint pains etc. Indeed, many find that their sex life had improved and their skin and hair were noticeably in better shape. As they find relief from these problems, this has a positive bearing on their quality. of life and ultimately their emotional well being as well.

The case seems to be that if you are a woman who is having a particularly difficult time of going through the menopause (and not all women do) - then you would be better of trying HRT. You might find you sail through the menopause if you do!

A lot of research has been commissioned into the use of HRT and its side effects and the preventative measures of HRT is now becoming widely acknowledged. For example, women are at increased risk of strokes and heart attacks once they stop having periods and this risk increases to the same levels as it is for men. Using HRT could help bring that level of risk down by protecting women against such fatal conditions. Especially as it is now recognized that heart disease is the leading cause of early death in women. However, the protective effect of HRT only kicks in if you have been taking the treatment for a minimum of five years.

There are many benefits to taking HRT - and not just related to the more obvious symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes and night sweats. For example, another positive effect of HRT is the treatment of incontinence.

In addition, HRT does protect against the loss of calcium although for maximum bone protection, it is imperative to start taking HRT within five years of the onset of your menopause.

As well as the many obvious advantages to taking HRT, there are also some disadvantages. These include depression, nausea, weight gain, breast tenderness and mood swings. Another side effect that tends to put most women off is that the monthly bleeding continues.

At the end of the day, the decision on whether to take HRT or not should be made by the patient herself. That said, it is important, once the decision has been made to start a course of HRT, that the therapy is taken for a few years at least so that the body does have time to benefit from it. (One of the main reasons many women give up so quickly is because they do not like the recurrence of the monthly bleeds which tends to happen with the joint oestrogen and progestogen HRT).


Please click on List of HRT Details to read about many different aspects of Hormone Replacement Therapy.