What is Hormone Replacement Therapy, Why and How it is Used?
Hormone Replacement Therapy- It refers to any form of hormone therapy wherein the patient, in the course of medical treatment, receives hormones, either to supplement a lack of naturally occurring hormones, or to substitute other hormones for naturally occurring hormones. The common forms of hormone replacement therapy may include:
- Hormone replacement therapy for menopause
- Hormone replacement therapy for transgender people
- Androgen replacement therapy
Here, we are talking about the hormone replacement therapy given to women whose estrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly because of the menopause. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones. HRT increases a woman's levels of essential hormones. HRT may also refer to male hormonal treatment, as well as for individuals who undergo a sex change.
In this article, we will discuss how HRT works for women whose problem is caused by the menopause.
When the level of estrogen and progesterone drops during menopause, which is quite a common symptom in women, there are certain women who can see certain changes in benefiting from artificially boosting their hormone levels to reduce some menopausal symptoms.
Estrogen that stimulates the release of eggs, during menopause, the level of supplying this hormone to the body starts declining bringing some of the signs and symptoms as mentioned below:-
Estrogen helps maintain good bone density, skin temperature and regulating moisture of the vagina. A drop in estrogen levels can cause:
- Urinary problems
- Vaginal dryness
- Thinning hair
- Night sweats
- Sleep problems
- Moodiness
- Irregular periods
- Lower fertility
- Hot flashes (UK: hot flushes)
- Concentration and memory difficulties
- Accumulation of fat in the abdomen
- Breasts get smaller
Such unpleasant symptoms sometime go away within two to five years, except for vaginal dryness.
Symptoms may sometimes occur before the menopause starts (peri-menopause). In this case, the woman's supply of eggs has not finished, they have just dropped significantly, which can activate a fall in hormone levels. So, the patient may still have regular periods as well as menopausal symptoms.
HRT estrogen can be extracted from pregnant horse urine or plants.
The other significant hormone- Progesterone is actually a reproductive hormone with its main function is to prepare the woman's womb for possible pregnancies. This hormone also helps protect the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).
The lower progesterone levels do not really cause any immediate discomfort to the women but the health experts say the risk of developing endometrial cancer may be higher with its lower level.
HRT is approved for the relief of menopausal symptoms and the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. HRT can be taken in either tablet, gel or skin patch forms to prevent early menopause, heart or brain disorders, to stimulate pregnancy and muscle functions. Medicines like Progynova 28 Tablets 2mg, Cenestin, Enjuvia, Premarin and creams like Estrasorb and Estrogel are much helpful to stimulate these hormones.