A Beginner’s Guide to Hormone Replacement Therapy

Just when you think your finished with the hormone discomforts and premenstrual symptoms, menopause comes through. And unfortunately, with menopause comes another wave of hormone discomforts. Fortunately, with the help of your OBGYN and hormone replacement therapy, women can find relief. Here is your beginner’s guide to hormone replacement therapy.

Hormones Rule Our Lives

Both men and women have hormones that change over their lifetimes. Any imbalance can drastically affect your day-to-day life.

Hormones control our heart rate, brain function, anxiety, body temperature, sexual function, sleep patterns, metabolism, stress, appetite, mood, and urination. If our hormones imbalanced by being too low or too high, you can see how your life can be disrupted.

For menopause in particular, there is a reduction in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The discomforts of hormone imbalance affects approximately 85% of women during menopause. It is sometimes referred to as a change of life.

The good news is you don’t have to suffer through. There is help.

Typical Menopause Complaints

During menopause women often experience night sweats and hot flashes. Other symptoms include the following:

• Trouble sleeping
• Being irritated at nothing serious
• Feeling not in control of your emotions
• Fatigue
• Memory problems
• Lack of focus
• Joint muscle and body aches
• Sexual issues

You may not experience all of these menopause issues, but expect some. Some may be worse than others.

Balancing Your Hormones

The trick is to restore the balance of these missing or reduced hormones. Your OBGYN can work with you to develop different combinations for hormone replacement therapy.

There are a number of methods available to treat the symptoms of menopause. In addition to helping you reduce these symptoms, it has been found that HRT also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease.

The benefits of HRT far outweigh any risks, so work with your OBGYN to look at the pros and cons, and find what’s right for you.