During menopause, women will experience a fluctuation in hormone levels that ends with an overall decrease in hormones. Hormones are at their highest during the childbearing years, however, as women age, their hormone levels naturally decrease. Menopause comes with a wide range of symptoms often including mood swings, hot flashes, and often depression.
Hormone replacement treatment is often prescribed for women going through the process of menopause. Hormone replacement therapy can work to decrease or even eliminate the symptoms of menopause by replacing the hormones that are diminishing.
Risks of hormone replacement therapy include an increased risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It is important to discuss these risks with your doctor to determine if this treatment is right for you.
Despite the risks, hormone replacement treatment also comes with many benefits. The natural decrease in hormone production typically leads to a diminished sex drive, fatigue, hot flashes, mood swings, and bone loss. Replacement therapy supplies the body with the missing estrogen and progesterone, which will reduce those side effects. Additionally, hormone replacement treatment can reduce the risk of diabetes, tooth loss, and cataracts.
Before talking to your doctor, it may be helpful to understand the different types of hormone replacement therapy available. Essentially there are two basic types of hormone replacement options; synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones.
Synthetic hormones are just as they sound; fake hormones used to trick the body into believing they are the real deal. Bioidentical hormones are natural hormones found in nature that is used in hormone replacement therapy. Many scientists believe the body cannot tell the difference between real hormones and bioidentical hormones.
The downside to synthetic hormones is the increased risk of negative side effects or complications. However, your personal risk level will also be based on other risk factors such as family history, personal health, smoking, drinking, etc. The downside of bioidentical hormone replacement is that it is hard to gauge dosage, which means multiple trips to the doctor’s office and lots of testing to get it right. However, this doesn?t mean it might not go smoothly for you.
It is important to keep in mind that every woman’s experience will be different. The side effects experienced during menopause will be different. The duration of menopause symptoms, the reaction to hormone replacement therapy, and the effectiveness of the treatment will all be different from one patient to the next. For that reason, it is important to go into it with an open mind.
All too often, women will share their horror stories with each other covering terrible menopause experiences and failed hormone replacement therapy attempts. It is important to not be discouraged if you know someone that struggled through the process. Every woman is different, and the approach taken with this therapy may be different from one doctor to the next.
Replacement therapy can have an anti-aging impact. Diminishing hormones can impact the appearance of your skin, muscle strength, and bone density. It can also cause your hair to thin. Visiting an anti aging clinic can help you learn more about these potential side effects and the impact they may have on you. Replacing those missing hormones can stop the muscle and bone loss, give life to your skin and keep your hair thick and healthy.