Who is hormone replacement therapy for

However, confirming the effects of these supplements requires further research. Some may not be safe for everyone to use. A person cannot be sure what a product contains or whether it is safe or effective to use.

Can essential oils help with menopause? Find out here. Hormone therapy is a standard approach to a range of health issues. Certain hormones or combinations of hormones can help manage symptoms of menopause. However, HRT is not suitable for everyone. Doctors and other healthcare providers can describe the risks and potential benefits in detail and help people with the decision.

When does menopause start? Is it still possible to become pregnant? Here, find out the answers to these and other questions about menopause. Many people experience hot flashes and other symptoms around menopause, but essential oils may help. Learn more here, including which ones to choose. Vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes, sweating, and heart palpitations, are common during menopause. Get some tips on how to manage them here. Menopause tends to occur naturally around midlife, but it can also happen earlier if a person undergoes some types of surgery or treatment.

Learn more…. During menopause, a person can experience hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and other changes. Find out how taking vitamins may help manage discomfort. What you need to know about HRT. Alternatives Takeaway Hormone replacement therapy HRT can help balance estrogen and progesterone levels during or near menopause.

Hormones and menopause. Side effects. Is it safe? Risks: Who should not use HRT? Does HRT cause cancer? Does it cause weight gain? Limited research to date suggests the increased risk of clots is mainly related to combined oestrogen and progestogen in oral tablet form, and also depends on the type of progestogen used. Some studies suggest a lower risk with non-oral therapy patches, implants or gels or tibolone.

The endometrium is the lining of the uterus. Use of oestrogen-only HRT increases the risk of endometrial cancer, but this risk is not seen with combined continuous oestrogen and progestogen treatment.

There is no risk if a woman has had her uterus removed hysterectomy. The increased risk of ovarian cancer is very small and estimated to be one extra case per 10, HRT users per year. A recent review linked HRT to two types of tumours: serous and endometrioid cancers. Cholecystitis is a disease in which gallstones in the gallbladder block ducts, causing infection and inflammation.

On average, there is a slightly higher risk that a woman will develop cholecystitis when using oral HRT, but patch treatment is associated with a lower risk.

Treatment for cholecystitis includes surgery to remove the gallbladder. Weight gain at the menopause is related to age and lifestyle factors. An increase in body fat, especially around the abdomen, can occur during menopause because of hormonal changes, although exactly why this happens is not clear. Normal age-related decrease in muscle tissue, and a decrease in exercise levels, can also contribute to weight gain. Most studies do not show a link between weight gain and HRT use.

If a woman is prone to weight gain during her middle years, she will put on weight whether or not she uses HRT. Some women may experience symptoms at the start of treatment, including bloating, fluid retention and breast fullness, which may be misinterpreted as weight gain. These symptoms usually disappear once the therapy doses are changed to suit the individual. HRT is not a form of contraception.

The treatment does not contain high enough levels of hormones to suppress ovulation, so pregnancy is still possible in women in the perimenopause the time of hormonal instability leading up to menopause. Periods can be erratic in perimenopause, and egg production will be less frequent, but can still occur until menopause. For women younger than 50, contraception is recommended for at least two years after the final period. For women aged 50 and above, contraception is recommended for at least one year after their final period.

It is currently believed that, overall, the risks of long-term more than five years use of HRT outweigh the benefits.

HRT should not be recommended for disease prevention, except for women under 60 years of age with substantially increased risk of bone fractures, or in the setting of premature menopause. Women with liver disease, migraine headaches, epilepsy, diabetes, gall bladder disease, fibroids, endometriosis or hypertension high blood pressure need special consideration before being prescribed HRT.

In these situations HRT is often given through the skin transdermally. Despite the risks of long-term use, in women with severe and persistent menopausal symptoms, HRT may be the only effective therapy. Women with premature or early menopause are prescribed HRT long-term because of their increased risks of earlier onset of heart disease, osteoporosis, and some neurological conditions compared to women undergoing menopause around the age of 50 years.

Seek specialist advice from a menopause clinic or menopause specialist. Regular check-ups are recommended. It is advisable for women with a history of breast cancer to avoid HRT unless other treatments are ineffective, and their quality of life is made intolerable by menopausal symptoms. Evidence has not conclusively shown that HRT will increase the risk of breast cancer recurring in a woman with a history of the disease.

However, oestrogen and progestogens forms of progesterone may stimulate some types of cells in the breast and some types of HRT use have been associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer in women without a history of breast cancer.

It is not recommended that women at high risk of breast cancer , or breast cancer survivors, take highly processed soy supplements which are high in phytoestrogens , but eating moderate amounts of whole soy foods appears to be healthy. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again.

Show references AskMayoExpert. Menopausal hormone therapy adult. Mayo Clinic; Martin KA, et al. Treatment of menopausal symptoms with hormone therapy. Accessed March 25, Menopausal hormone therapy: Benefits and risks. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin No. Reaffirmed North American Menopause Society. Nonhormonal management of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms: position statement of The North American Menopause Society.

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