Should I Take Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy is designed to help women whose menopausal symptoms — hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness — are severe and affecting their quality of life. These symptoms can go on for years after your last period.
HRT replaces or supplements the hormones your body doesnât make anymore. Most women who use it take a combination of estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is what helps most with symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness progesterone is added to protect against uterine cancer for women who have not had a hysterectomy.
Besides Hormone Replacement Therapy How Can I Treat Hot Flashes
While HRT relieves hot flashes for many women, there are other drug treatments that may offer relief. These include both over-the-counter and prescription therapies you may recognize for their more common medical uses. Over-the-counter therapies include various vitamins, ibuprofen products, and soy protein found in foods.
Prescription treatments include:
- Brisdelle, a paroxetine formula specifically for hot flashes
- Duavee, a conjugated estrogens/bazedoxifene formula designed to treat hot flashes
Should I Use Hrt Or The Pill To Control Early Menopause Symptoms
13th March 2018
Women with premature ovarian insufficiency have low levels of estrogen. After diagnosis, most women will therefore be recommended to take some form of estrogen replacement. This will help with the symptoms of POI but estrogen is also important to protect the bones, heart and brain in the longer term. In women who still have their uterus , estrogen also needs to be taken with a progestogen.There are 2 main options for taking estrogen replacement:
Hormone replacement therapy Combined oral contraceptive pill
Each of these options have different pros and cons. The most important thing is finding a medication that suits your lifestyle and doesnt given you many side effects.
The COCP is easy to take, many women will have used it in the past and you may feel more comfortable being on the pill as it is something other girls or women your age may be taking. If you live in the UK you wouldnt have to pay for your prescription because contraceptives are free.
HRT comes in many different preparations pills, patches or gels and therefore it may offer more flexibility to find a preparation that suits you. HRT is thought to be more physiological and in the long-term may have a more beneficial effect on blood pressure when compared with the COCP.
Daisy members can read about treatment options here and join us for our regular webchats where you can ask advice from our resident medical experts.
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What Are Some Hormonal Birth Control Options
There are several types of hormonal birth control options available. Birth control pills are usually the most well-known and require the patient to take a daily pill at the same time each day. If remembering a daily pill is a challenge for you, or if you have a particularly busy or less predictable schedule, you may be better suited to other hormonal options. These include stick-on patches, which should be applied each week, vaginal rings, which are replaced each month, shots, which are administered every three months, or implants, which are placed below the skin or into the uterus and remain in place for several years.
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The Pill Hormone Therapy Safe With Blood Thinners
Finding may lay to rest the notion that hormonal treatments raise odds for recurrent clots, expert says
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 22, 2015 â Women on blood thinners can also take contraceptives that contain estrogen, or hormone replacement therapy, without raising their risk for blood clots or uterine bleeding, a new Italian study finds.
Currently, women diagnosed with blood clots may be advised to stop hormone therapy or use of the contraceptive pill â even if they are already on a blood thinner. The reason: Doctors are often concerned that these drug combinations might raise the patientâs risk for more clots.
However, âthere has been no evidence to support this decision,â said the studyâs senior author, Dr. Ida Martinelli, of the A. Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center in Milan.
âWe conducted this study to address the fear felt by both the physician and patient when making the decision to stop or continue hormone therapy in this setting,â she explained in a news release from the American Society of Hematology.
In the study, Martinelliâs team compared cases of recurrent blood clots and abnormal uterine bleeding in nearly 1,900 women who were prescribed blood thinners either with or without hormone therapy.
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What You Need To Know About Progestin
Progestin is a synthetic form of progesterone, which is a female hormone found in a womans body. As a naturally occurring hormone, progesterone is released from the ovaries to prepare the body for pregnancy. Progesterone also plays an important role during pregnancy. It contributes to maternal breast tissue growth while also preventing lactation, and prepares the body for labor by strengthening the wall muscles around the pelvic area.
Some common uses for progestin in products outside of contraception include treating abnormal uterine bleeding, severe premenstrual syndrome , and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy.
Do progestin products have any adverse side effects? When taking oral contraceptives that contain progestin, some women may experience side effects including ovarian cysts, breast tenderness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and hair thinning.
Other studies analyzing other side effects, such as the impact on sex drive and development of mood disturbances, are limited in terms of evidence and may offer conflicting views.
If youre experiencing any adverse side effects when taking oral contraceptives, make sure to talk to your doctor.
What Can I Do About Facial Hair I’ve Developed As A Result Of Menopause
Botanical supplements containing compounds that act like estrogens — such as soy — may provide some of the benefits of estrogen in relieving menopausal symptoms, but research results are contradictory. Other botanicals, including black cohosh, have shown some promise for reducing menopausal sweats, or hot flashes. However, more research is needed to define the benefits and risks of these alternative treatments, and you should always check with your doctor before using them.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Hrt
About 5 to 10 percent of women treated with HRT have side effects which may include breast tenderness, fluid retention and mood swings. In most cases, these side effects are mild and do not require the woman to stop HRT therapy.
If you have bothersome side effects from HRT, talk to your doctor. He or she can often reduce these side effects by changing the type and dosage of estrogen and/or progestin.
If you have a uterus and take progestin, monthly vaginal bleeding is likely to occur. If it will bother you to have your monthly menstrual cycle, discuss this with your health care provider.
Added Benefits Of Hrt
HRT reduces the risk of various chronic conditions that can affect postmenopausal women, including:
- diabetes taking HRT around the time of menopause reduces a womans risk of developing diabetes
- osteoporosis HRT prevents further bone density loss, preserving bone integrity and reducing the risk of fractures, but it is not usually recommended as the first choice of treatment for osteoporosis, except in younger postmenopausal women
- bowel cancer HRT slightly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer
- cardiovascular disease HRT has been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease markers when used around the time of menopause.
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Types Of Hormone Replacement Therapy
There are various types of hormone replacement therapy available today, and hormones come in a variety of forms including pills, patches, creams, gels, and injections. Prescription hormone products typically fall into one of the following groups.
Bioidentical Hormones
Bioidentical hormones are biologically identical to the hormones produced by the ovaries. These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is known as the natural hormone replacement option the hormones are derived from plants and are structurally the same as those that occur naturally in the human body.
Hormone pellets are one of the latest advancements in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. The pellet is implanted under the skin by a healthcare professional, where it consistently releases hormones into the bloodstream and can stay in for up to 5 months. The consistent nature of the hormone delivery provides more reliable relief from discomfort.
There is a common misconception that bioidentical hormones are too costly for some because they are not covered by insurance. However, there are BHRT products that are covered by insurance and thus available at a reasonable cost. Talk to your doctor or gynecologist about your bioidentical hormone replacement therapy options.
Hormones from Other Species
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Hrt And Birth Control: What You Need To Know Explained By Folx
Make no mistake: birth control is not exclusively a women’s health topic. Cisgender women are not the only people who utilize or need birth control. Plenty of people across the gender spectrum, including transgender men, transgender women, non-binary and intersex people, and many other people of varying genders belong in conversations about reproductive health, wellness, and access.
While there are many other uses for birth control other than pregnancy prevention, it should be noted that hormone replacement therapy is not and cannot be a replacement for birth control as a method of pregnancy prevention. This is true regardless of whether you’re on a high or low dose of testosterone or estrogen. In this article, we will be specifically referring to the type of sex where sperm can enter the uterus of a person with ovaries. If this is the type of sex you might be having, and you are on HRT or considering HRT, keep reading for necessary sexual health information regarding this topic.
If youre using birth control to prevent pregnancy, determining which route to take depends on your preference.
Birth control options
Immediate methods of birth control that are only needed at the time of sex include:
*It should be noted that this is a method with low efficacy
Short-acting methods, to be taken daily, that have other added benefits beyond preventing pregnancy include:
Medium-acting methods that require weekly or monthly attention include:
What about menopause?
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Here Are Some Questions You Can Ask Yourself And Discuss With Your Physician:
- Am I experiencing difficult menopause symptoms?
- Do I have any medical conditions or a family history of certain conditions that might make HRT beneficial for me?
- Do I have any medical conditions or a family history of certain conditions that might make HRT riskier for me?
- Have I considered alternatives to HRT?
Hrt Does Not Cause Weight Gain
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.
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Whats The Difference Between Progestin And Estrogen In Birth Control Pills
When considering which oral contraceptive is right for you, two medical terms you might come across are progestin and estrogen. These refer to two female sex hormones that are used in birth control products. Outside of their use in contraceptives, estrogen and progesterone are naturally produced in the female body and play key roles in regulating certain body functions in women throughout puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
As two common hormones found in oral contraceptives, understanding the differences between combination pills and progestin-only pills can help you select one that fits your needs and lifestyle. In this article, we will look at the major differences between progestin and estrogen as it relates to birth control, and why the pill is not one size fits all.
Women In Their 20s & 30s
Women in their 20s and 30s often experience a sharp reduction in libido , difficulties maintaining vaginal moisture, weight gain, and depression.
Our doctors order a comprehensive blood examination to determine the why this is happening.
We often find these women to have low estrogen, low testosterone and high sex hormone binding globulin. This hormone imbalance is quickly reversed by treatment with testosterone along with dietary and lifestyle changes.
Results are typically realized in less than a month, with noticeable reduction in body fat and a return to a youthful body composition over the six months to follow.
Sexual function is generally maximized within one month.
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How Does Simplehealth Support Trans And Nonbinary Patients
At this time, were able to work with trans and nonbinary patients who are *not* undergoing hormone therapy and have not undergone surgical transition. In these circumstances, our doctors will want to ask a variety of follow-up questions before deciding what kind of contraceptives to prescribe you.
If youre currently on gender-affirming hormonal therapy, or if youve undergone surgical transition , we unfortunately wont be the best fit for you at this time. However, we can help point you towards other resources that can help you on your reproductive health journey.
Why Is Simplehealth Unable To Provide Transgender/nonbinary Hormone Therapy To Me
At SimpleHealth, your safety is our top priority, and we want to make sure youre receiving the appropriate treatment. Hormone treatment is individualized and should be monitored by an appropriately-trained medical provider who can provide you with the necessary education, counseling, and medical evaluation.
Feminizing and masculinizing hormone therapy each have a variety of medical risks that we dont take lightly. We believe its important for you to seek in-person care where a doctor can create a customized plan specifically for youyou are worth it.
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The Different Routes And Doses Of Estrogen Administration
Concerning the route of E2 administration, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral and TD 17-E2 have been evaluated mainly in girls and adolescents with Turner syndrome . Taboada et al. recruited 10 girls with TS, mean age 17.7 ± 0.4 years, and 20 normally menstruating controls. TS were randomized 2 weeks each to oral 0.5 mg and biweekly TD E2 with 2 weeks washout in between or oral 2.0 mg and TD E2 . E2, E1, and a recombinant cell bioassay were used to evaluate steroid serum concentration as well as bioactive hormonal levels. The high-dose TD E2 group concentrations were the closest to serum levels of normally menstruating girls. A longer duration of treatment has been evaluated by the same group . Forty girls with TS, with a mean age of 16.7 ± 1.7 years, were randomized to 17-E2 orally or 17-E2 TD . Doses were titrated using mean E2 concentrations of normally menstruating girls. The mean oral dose was 2 mg, and the TD dose was 100 µg. The range of doses of E2 is, however, not mentioned in the paper. Evaluation was performed after 6 and 12 months on HRT. Total estrogen exposure was significantly higher after oral 17-E2. The potential impact of this higher exposure in the long term remains unknown. This study illustrates that TD 17-E2 is more physiological than oral 17-E2.
Seed Cycling Is Full Of Goodness
The short answer to whether you can still seed cycle on birth control or HRT, is yes! Seed cycling is all about using the good stuff found in natural and healthy foods to live a balanced life. Seeds are from mother nature, and they dont negatively affect your current medication. You can seed cycle and keep on with your birth control or HRT per your doctors instructions.
Seed cycling is commonly used to help support women coming off their birth control or wanting to come off HRT, and can also be used safely at the same time as these prescribed medications.
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Menopause Symptoms And Hrt
Menopause symptoms that may be relieved by HRT include:
- hot flushes and night sweats
- vaginal dryness
- hair loss or abnormal hair growth
- dry and itchy eyes.
Other therapies, including vaginal oestrogen products, antidepressants or other medications, may be used depending on the symptoms and risk factors. Seek advice from your doctor.
A Change In Recommendations
These studies were the first large-scale trials that looked for cause and effect with heart disease and HRT. HRT does offer some benefits, such as preventing osteoporosis and reducing the risk of colon cancer. But the data on heart-related risks from these studies were very compelling. As a result, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration developed new guidelines for the use of HRT:
The bottom line, say physicians at the Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic: weigh the benefits of HRT against the risks and discuss the whole subject of HRT with your physician to be able to make an informed decision.
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