Women with menopausal symptoms may be advised to take hormone replacement therapy, HRT, for relief if their symptoms are severe. Menopause is a period when a woman stops having their monthly periods because of shrinkage of reproductive organs necessary for facilitating menstruation. For most women, this happens when they are between forty and fifty years. It can happen way earlier if the ovaries have to be excised because of disease. Some of the symptoms experienced include dryness in the vagina, excessive sweating and hot flashes. These are some of the basic concepts regarding hormone replacement therapy St Petersburg FL people may need to understand.
The reproductive hormones, progesterone and oestrogen cease to be secreted when one is in menopause. Being responsible for secondary sexual characteristics such as breast growth, the reduction in hormone concentration causes this to cease and the breasts and the sexual organs begin to contract. The uterine lining shrivels and one can no longer have periods.
HRT formulations normally contain synthetic hormones to replace those that are deficient in the body. They come either as oestrogen only, progesterone only or a combination of both. HRT can be administered in form of pills, skin patches or vaginal creams.
It should be noted that hormone therapy is not indicated for every woman who has menopausal symptoms. A thorough evaluation needs to be done before one can safely take the drugs. This is because HRT is known to be associated with breast and uterine cancer. It also predisposes deep venous thrombosis hence increases the chances of one getting cardiovascular disease. These rather serious effects have been particularly linked to oestrogen only pills.
HRT too does have unwanted effects, just like any other form of treatment. The good thing is that most of these effects are temporary. The patient needs to be told clearly that is a possibility so that they do not stop taking the medication. Some of the common side effects include abdominal bloating, breakthrough bleeding, nausea and gaining weight unintentionally.
Some of the side effects can be addressed by changing the mode of administration. For instance, some patients may report disturbing headaches when using the oral medication. This can be relieved by switching to skin patches. If there is too much irritation with patches, other alternatives are available. The patient needs to be made aware that most of these symptoms are minor and tend to disappear with time.
Once the patient starts taking the medication, menopausal symptoms subside with time. How a patient takes the medication depends on the specific symptoms. To illustrate this, if the problem that stands is dryness in the vagina, then it only makes sense that they use vaginal preparations rather than skin patches and so on. Improvement is generally seen within one to three months although it may take longer for some people.
At the end of the day, it is important to look at the pros and cons of this therapy before deciding to use it. And when you do use them, wisdom requires that you do not abuse them. This means that you take the minimum dose necessary to achieve relief of symptoms.
The reproductive hormones, progesterone and oestrogen cease to be secreted when one is in menopause. Being responsible for secondary sexual characteristics such as breast growth, the reduction in hormone concentration causes this to cease and the breasts and the sexual organs begin to contract. The uterine lining shrivels and one can no longer have periods.
HRT formulations normally contain synthetic hormones to replace those that are deficient in the body. They come either as oestrogen only, progesterone only or a combination of both. HRT can be administered in form of pills, skin patches or vaginal creams.
It should be noted that hormone therapy is not indicated for every woman who has menopausal symptoms. A thorough evaluation needs to be done before one can safely take the drugs. This is because HRT is known to be associated with breast and uterine cancer. It also predisposes deep venous thrombosis hence increases the chances of one getting cardiovascular disease. These rather serious effects have been particularly linked to oestrogen only pills.
HRT too does have unwanted effects, just like any other form of treatment. The good thing is that most of these effects are temporary. The patient needs to be told clearly that is a possibility so that they do not stop taking the medication. Some of the common side effects include abdominal bloating, breakthrough bleeding, nausea and gaining weight unintentionally.
Some of the side effects can be addressed by changing the mode of administration. For instance, some patients may report disturbing headaches when using the oral medication. This can be relieved by switching to skin patches. If there is too much irritation with patches, other alternatives are available. The patient needs to be made aware that most of these symptoms are minor and tend to disappear with time.
Once the patient starts taking the medication, menopausal symptoms subside with time. How a patient takes the medication depends on the specific symptoms. To illustrate this, if the problem that stands is dryness in the vagina, then it only makes sense that they use vaginal preparations rather than skin patches and so on. Improvement is generally seen within one to three months although it may take longer for some people.
At the end of the day, it is important to look at the pros and cons of this therapy before deciding to use it. And when you do use them, wisdom requires that you do not abuse them. This means that you take the minimum dose necessary to achieve relief of symptoms.
About the Author:
Find details about different hormone replacement therapy St Petersburg FL options and more info about an experienced doctor at http://www.primacarehealthllc.com today.
0 comments:
Post a Comment