What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy And How Will It Affect Me?

Since the 1990s, though, there has been some concern about the safety of taking hormones using hormone replacement therapy. Studies that concluded in the early 2000s revealed that there were indeed benefits but also some serious risks.

While researchers debate the subject, women are left to decide whether to take risks and the hormones or deal with the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause.

You need to know two things before you decide: the 1. benefits and 2. effects of taking HRT and whether there are any other viable options. There are also mental health factors to consider when you take part in HRT therapy. Your medical doctor may recommend that you get therapy to deal with the effects of menopause and HRT therapy.

 What is menopause?

Menopause is defined as the time in a woman's life when menstruation ends. That definition is somewhat lacking because it makes menopause sound like something that happens in a moment. Menopause typically lasts from 10 months to 4 years. What's more, doctors don't consider that you've started menopause until you've gone without a period for at least 12 months.

Symptoms of menopause

When you stop having periods, your body begins to change. The lack of hormones may cause symptoms like:

• Hot flashes
• Night Sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Sleep disturbances
• Decreased sex drive
• Increased urinary frequency
• Redistribution of body fat
• Hair and skin become drier and thinner
• Thinning bones (osteoporosis)
• Joints become stiffer
• Forgetfulness
• Mood changes

Experts disagree about whether some of these symptoms are signs of menopause or simply natural reactions to the stage of life the women are in. For example, you might forget things because you're at the height of your career and so busy that you forget small things that seem less important.

Mood swings can happen at any stage of life, depending on what's happening to you at the time, and it doesn't always have anything to do with your sex hormones. If you're suddenly suffering from irregular mood swings, see your medical doctor rule out medical issues. After visiting your primary care professional, if no issues are present and you still have mood swings - your doctor may recommend that you see a therapist get to the bottom of your issue.

Middle-aged women are often affected by problems in their families as their children make their way in the world, dealing with empty-nest syndrome. They face new challenges by taking on more responsibility in the workplace. Whether irregular mood swings are a sign of menopause, or a reaction to everyday stresses, talking to a medical doctor and then a therapist is a good starting point for dealing with your moods.

Isn't menopause a natural process?

Menopause happens to every woman who lives long enough to experience it. It is a natural process. It's nothing to fear or feel bad about. The subject of menopause has been shrouded in secrecy for many years. Only recently have women started to educate themselves on this subject before it happens to them.

At the same time, menopause is uncomfortable. If you haven't had all the children you wanted to have, it can be distressing. If there's a way to minimize its effects, doing that makes as much sense as all the other things people do to feel better through all the other uncomfortable but natural things they face in life.

What is hormone replacement therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy means taking hormone pills or placing hormone patches on your skin to boost estrogen-only or estrogen and progestin levels. These are the hormones your body produces during your childbearing years. They're necessary for giving birth but not necessarily needed once your body ages.

Although most people know taking hormone pills or using the patches as hormone replacement therapy, doctors are beginning to move away from that nomenclature. Calling it by that name gives people the mistaken idea that the hormone pills or patches boost your hormone levels back to what they were when you were younger. The doses aren't high enough to do that, and trying would be dangerous to your health.

Who is HRT for?

There are two main groups of women who might benefit from HRT. The first is women who go through menopause because they've had a complete hysterectomy. These women take estrogen only.

The second group is women who go through menopause naturally. Originally, these women were given estrogen only. However, researchers discovered that the hormones affected the woman's uterine lining, increasing their risk of uterine cancer.

Who shouldn't do HRT?

Some women shouldn't take hormone replacement therapy. For them, the risks are just too great. These women include those who:

• Have or have had breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancer.
• Have or have had blood clots in their legs or lungs.
• Have a history of stroke.
• Are smokers.

 Primary benefits of HRT

The main benefits of hormone replacement therapy are decreasing physical menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. HRT might also help with cognitive symptoms like forgetfulness and mood changes, but this is not proven.

Other possible benefits of hormone replacement therapy

The two largest studies showed some other benefits of taking hormone replacement therapy, too. Women on the therapies avoided bone fractures with estrogen and progestin therapy and the therapy using estrogen-only.

Those taking the estrogen-only therapy also avoided developing or dying from breast cancer. Additionally, there has been some evidence that using HRT can reduce your risk of colon and rectum cancers.

What type of hormones do I need?

The type of hormone therapy you need (and whether you need it at all) depends on your unique body as well as your beliefs and preferences. If you have HRT, your doctor can explain what type of hormone replacement therapy is right for your situation.

Estrogen-only

Estrogen-only HRT is for women who don't have a uterus, typically because they had a hysterectomy.

Estrogen and progestin

Women who still have a uterus get combined therapy with estrogen and progestin.

You can opt-out

You don't have to take hormone replacement therapy at all if you would rather not. You can find out the risks and benefits of hormone therapy, talk to your doctor and a counselor about your options, and make your own decision.

About bioidentical hormones

Bioidentical hormones have been sold to many women to promise that these are more "natural" and therefore safer. Bioidentical hormones are made in compounding pharmacies. The pharmacist does saliva tests to determine how much of each hormone you need and then makes the hormone compounds for you to use.

The problem with the concept of bioidentical hormones is that, once they're compounded, they're no different than the "synthetically-produced" hormones. The only real difference in the hormones is that their production isn't regulated, so the amount you get from time to time and pharmacy to the pharmacy may vary dramatically. They're also very expensive and usually not covered by insurance.

Effects of taking hormone replacement therapy

So, what happens to you when you take hormone replacement therapy? You get symptom relief, but do you also feel different? How do these hormones affect your health? Is HRT worth what it might cost you?

How will I feel when I'm taking hormones?

Hormone replacement therapy can sometimes help with extreme mood swings, but only if they're related to the hormonal changes of menopause. If the mood swings are a symptom of a mood disorder or caused by difficult life situations, getting counseling is a good first step to resolving them.

The hormones themselves probably won't make you feel more feminine, but they might help you feel that way if you believe they are crucial to your identity as a woman. A much less drastic way to deal with identity issues is to work with a counselor to gain perspective on what makes a woman a woman.

What are the health risks of taking estrogen?

In some women, especially those who took the combination therapy, there was a higher risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. HRT also comes with a greater risk of blood clots and strokes. However, these last two risks can be minimized if you use transdermal hormone patches rather than pills.

Another health risk that can also lead to low self-esteem and difficulty in personal relationships is the problem of urinary incontinence. Women in the two studies who took the hormones were much more likely to develop urinary incontinence than those who didn't take the hormones.

Do the risks outweigh the benefits?

While doctors aren't so quick to put every menopausal woman on hormone replacement therapy, you can still request it if you feel it will be helpful for you. Talk to your doctor about what is currently known about the risks and benefits. Then, talk to a counselor if you still have trouble making this decision alone. A therapist won't tell you what to do, but they can teach you decision-making skills and act as a sounding board.

What you can do to make menopause easier to live with

You can do many things to make menopause an easier time for yourself and the people you care about.

Natural remedies

Many natural remedies have been used over the ages to help women with menopause. These include:

• Soy foods
• Flaxseed
• Dong Quai
• Black cohosh
• Vitamin E
• B Vitamins
• Evening primrose oil
• Black currant oil

These herbs and supplements have been used for centuries, but the scientific evidence for the herbal remedies is limited.

Practical solutions

You can manage many of the symptoms of menopause with a few simple steps. If you're feeling hot, you can use a fan or a cooling gel pillow while you sleep. Another thing you can do is try to develop a more positive attitude about menopause. This can be difficult for many reasons, but finding ways to appreciate who you are now can make the symptoms seem less troublesome.

If your weight begins to redistribute and settle around your middle, you can up your game at the gym, or better yet, enjoy walks or runs in a natural setting to get healthier and more relaxed at the same time. Dialectical behavior therapy can also help you accept yourself as you are while working toward making changes.

Dealing with emotional ups and downs

Whether they're caused by hormonal changes or changes in your life situation, mood changes can be difficult to deal with during menopause. You can learn techniques for managing your moods from a mental health counselor. After visiting your primary care physician or another licensed medical professional to rule out medical issues, sessions with a licensed mental health counselor or therapist can put you back on track to good mental health. When you take part in therapy, You learn strategies to develop a more positive and realistic outlook on life and new coping and communication strategies for dealing with life's challenges.

Managing relationship issues

Relationships can become problematic when you're having symptoms of any condition, not just menopause. Menopause causes problems that can interfere with intimacy between you and your partner. Between difficulties with your sex life and practical considerations like setting the thermostat in your home, you can feel like your relationship with your partner is in danger.

People often think of going to couples counseling before they get married, while they're raising children together, and when they're considering divorce. Many people don't consider that even if none of those things are true, your relationship can suffer and cause you major unhappiness. In relationship counseling, you can learn to communicate more effectively, appreciate each other more, and understand each other better than you ever have before.

Overcoming negative attitudes about menopause

One thing women struggle with during menopause is outside opinions of what they're going through. Family members may falsely attribute mood disturbances to menopause when the emotions are natural responses to life stresses. But, because the woman is in menopause, the family member doesn't take their feelings seriously.

Couples counseling offers menopausal women a chance to sort out for their partner what is due to menopause and what is a symptom of a problem in the relationship. Emotions aren't bad, but they can be helpful because they shed light on problems that need to be resolved in the relationship.

Setting a course for the next stage of life

Once you realize for sure that your childbearing years are over with the coming of menopause, your outlook changes. You may wonder if your life still has meaning. Even if you've never had or wanted children, menopause represents a shift in your physical capabilities.

For some women, this shift represents freedom and promise. For others, the transition can be more difficult. No matter how you feel about menopause, your life course will probably change, at least somewhat. You may decide to go back and get more education. You might decide to start a business or a nonprofit organization. You still have so much to give the world!

If menopause has you feeling down or out of control and you've already talked to your primary care doctor to rule out potential medical issues - you can talk to a licensed relationship expert online at Regain.us whenever and wherever you like. You don't have to feel sad or disconnected from your loved ones at this momentous time in your life. You can work out the practical problems and set a new course for the next stage of your life. Ready to get started making positive changes in your life? Contact a Regain.US therapy expert now.