Many of you might wonder what hormone therapy is. We can tell you that hormone therapy is a treatment that is used to supplement the body with the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These mentioned hormones are produced by the woman's ovaries. In the moment when ovaries do not produce enough amounts of these hormones, as in menopause, hormone therapy can be prescribed as a supplement in order to normalize the levels of estrogen and progesterone.
The normal question that arises now refers to the role of estrogen and progesterone. You should know that these two hormones have the mission to thicken the lining of the uterus, preparing it for the possible implantation of a fertilized egg. Estrogen also helps in using the calcium of the organism, which is an important mineral that helps building the bones, and also helps in maintaining normal levels of the boy cholesterol.
When women reach the age for menopause the ovaries reduce their production of these hormones. Menopause symptoms are also caused by the lowered or fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone. For example we can say that a low or fluctuating level of estrogen causes symptoms such as hot flashes or medical conditions such as osteoporosis. Getting to normal levels of these hormones through HT is a way of easing the symptoms.
Progesterone is used in women who still have their uterus. For these women, if estrogen is taken without progesterone, the chances for endometrium cancer increase. In the productive years, endometrial cells are shed during menstruation. When this does not happen, estrogen can cause an overgrowth of cells in the uterus which in most of the cases might lead to cancer.
Progesterone reduces the risks of endometrial cancer, making the endometrium shed each month. That is why women who take progesterone may have monthly bleeding. This bleeding can be stopped if progesterone and estrogen are taken together for a long period.
As we said before, estrogen and progesterone can relieve symptoms. Among these symptoms we can remember hot flashes, vaginal dryness that can result in painful intercourse, night sweats or dry itchy skin.
Even if there are studies that do not agree with hormone therapy we might say that the benefits of hormone therapy include a reduce risk of developing osteoporosis or bone breakage, improvement of mood, decreased tooth loss and lowered risk of colon cancer.
For more resources about menopause or about early menopause symptoms please review http://www.menopause-info-guide.com/early-menopause-symptoms.htm
In our grandmothers' time, the menopause was looked on as a natural part of life and women just had to put up with it. Some women sail through it and notice no symptoms at all and others suffer quite a lot. Nowadays, there is a lot of help available in the form of hormones, to deal with symptoms that you may experience during perimenopause and menopause.
What's Perimenopause?
This is the time prior to menopause (anything up to several years) when a woman's monthly cycle begins to become irregular. She may experience hot flashes, sweats at night, dryness of the vagina and feel emotionally labile.
The perimenopause is what women are really enduring when they say they are going through the menopause. The medical definition of menopause is when a woman has not had a period for a year. It usually occurs when a woman is in her late forties or early fifties. Women who have had their ovaries removed during surgery, for whatever reason, will go into a sudden menopause if hormone replacement is not offered.
At the beginning of perimenopause, some doctors prescribe birth control pills. These can help to regulate or stop heavy, frequently occurring, or unpredictable periods. They can also help with the unpleasant symptoms and will prevent pregnancy. Many women think that they won't conceive as their periods are now so erratic and then find themselves with a new baby!
What Is MHT?
Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) is the new name for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). This is in the form of estrogen. If you still have a uterus, it will be combined with progesterone. Estrogen supplements alone can cause cancer of the uterus but the risk is virtually eliminated if a progestogen supplement is given with it.
MHT may help to prevent your bones thinning (osteoporosis) and help with menopause symptoms but they may return if you stop taking it.
Controversy surrounds MHT as there are risks involved. Some women may increase their risk of suffering blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer and disease of the gall bladder. If you are considering MHT, talk to your doctor who can help. It's recommended that hormones are given in the lowest dose that helps, and taken for the shortest time that they are needed.
Five Things You Should Know Aout MHT
* It doesn't prevent heart attacks or strokes.
* It doesn't prevent loss of memory or Alzheimer's disease.
* It has not been shown to prevent aging, wrinkles or sadly, to increase sex drive.
* Risks and benefits of hormone pills, patches, creams, gels and rings may all be the same.
Herbs and other natural products should be used with caution, although more open-minded doctors are happy for their patients to take them, and may even help with herbal choices. Research the latest studies to see if they may benefit you. If you are a breast cancer survivor and your tumor was estrogen positive, you mustn't take anything containing estrogen - and that includes plant estrogens. Take care and read the small print!
Both Groshan Fabiola & Rebecca Prescott are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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