Menopausal Hormone Therapy Pros And Cons: What You Need To Know – Medical Daily

Hormone replacement therapy is the supplementation of estrogen and progesterone, the two hormones that are depleted during the menopausal phase of a woman's life. In America, the average age of a woman hitting menopause is 51.5 years. The therapy is usually taken to combat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal discomfort.

The benefit of menopausal hormone therapy depends on the form it is consumed as well as its dosage. Systemic hormone therapy comes in the form of pills, gel, cream, spray, and skin patch, which are used in the treatment of menopausal hot flashes and night sweats, specifically.Low-dose vaginal products available in creams, tablets or vaginal rings are used to treat urinary symptoms but have no impact on controlling hot flashes.

A combination of estrogen and progesterone are given to women who have not had a hysterectomy.This is to reduce the risk of uterine cancer that increases when the estrogen is not balanced by progesterone. However, only estrogen is given to women without a uterus.

About 80 percent of women, at some point, with menopause experience the symptoms of sweating and palpitations otherwise known as hot flashes. Some women go through only fleeting moments of hot flashes infrequently while some women have them regularly.

History

The pharmaceutical industry brought this trendand made billions of dollars in profits. As a result, about 35 percent of women in their post-menopause phase were taking hormone replacement therapy in 1995. In the 1960s, it initially provided a huge relief to women since it cured their depression accompanyinghot flashes, easing their transition into a healthy post-menopausal life.

It was also popularly believed to prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, as per many observational studies. Contrary evidence suggesting that hormone medication could lead to breast, uterine and heart disease was ignored completely.

Women who use menopausal hormone therapy are twice as likely to develop lower gastrointestinal bleeding and ischemic colitis. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Pros

Low dose of vaginal estrogen has been effective in treating vaginal dryness and discomfort. Sometimes, hormone therapy is given along with antidepressant drugs to help women suffering from depression and anxiety. It may also help prevent the onset of dementia.

Women within ten years of starting menopause are at a lower risk of harming their health especially if they are below the age of 60 years.However, evidence on the benefits of hormone therapy has been mixed and inconsistent so there is no real assurance provided by taking the drugs.

Cons

Things changed when Womens Health Initiative (WHI) conducted a randomized clinical trial in 2003, which said that hormone therapy increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular trouble among healthy women.The study had made a startling calculation. It was estimated that for every 10,000 person-years of hormone therapy collectively consumedbywomen, there were a corresponding number of adverse eventsexperienced.

For instance, there was a sevenfold increase in heart attacks. Similarly, there was an eightfold increase in strokes, blood clots in the lungs and breast cancer.Since the risks are too many, the positive health benefits of estrogen and progestin consumption remain cancelled.

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Menopausal Hormone Therapy Pros And Cons: What You Need To Know - Medical Daily