The biological clock is one of the biggest enemies every woman has to face. Menopause in itself is a big problem but to top it off it comes with a whole set of side effects that cause all kinds of changes in your body. Once you hit menopause your body starts showing a lot of symptoms like:
- Hot flashes
- Irregular periods
- Hot flashes
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Mood changes
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Slowed metabolism
- Anxiety
- Urinary problems
- Skin problems
And the list goes long but one thing is for sure it comes with a whole lot of stress and discomfort. Going through hormone replacement therapy can help you swiftly pass through the process without accumulating much damage.
The most basic hormones doctors use to help deal with the problem are progesterone and estrogen and sometimes even testosterone.
Uses of hormone replacement therapy
Since hormone replacement therapy helps to deal with a broad variety of disorders, it is used in many different scenarios. The type of hormone you must use depends on the condition and varies from person to person. Here are some of the scenarios where hormone doctors can suggest hormone replacement therapy.
- Menopause
- Birth control
- Low testosterone levels
- Prostate cancer
- Gender transition
All of the above conditions can be handled with the help of progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
What do testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone do?
Testosterone
Testosterone is a major sex hormone in men but it is also present in females in small quantities. Testosterone has many functions to it:
- It helps with bone strength and growth
- It helps to increase muscle size
- Sperm production in men
- Appearance in facial and pubic hair at puberty
- Ovarian function
- Libido and sexual behavior
Estrogen
Estrogen is the main sex hormone in females and it is important for many functions that occur during puberty and for the rest of life. Some of the functions of estrogen include:
- It helps to prepare a thick lining in the uterus to prepare for the implantation of a fertilized egg.
- It helps to maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels
- It helps in the prevention of osteoporosis
Progesterone
It’s another one of the main characters of a women’s hormone cycle. This one majorly comes into play during pregnancy.
- It helps to prepare your uterus for implantation and maintain it
- Progesterone helps to regulate mood and sleep
- This hormone also plays an important role in regulating blood pressure
Benefits of HRT
Since during menopause imbalance of hormones cause so many problems, taking hormone replacement therapy can help to create a balance. Thus the balance helps keep the symptoms at bay. It can help you get back your reduced sex drive and aid in preventing vaginal dryness.
Methods of intake
There are many ways in which you can take hormonal replacement therapy and some of those are the following:
- Tablets
- Skin patches
- Creams
- Gels
- Vaginal rings
It is important to note that after the treatment is complete it is suggested to reduce the amount of HRT medications gradually. Stopping suddenly might relapse your symptoms. Also after stopping the medication you might see the symptoms some quite a few months but the symptoms reduce slowly and go away after some point.
Lifestyle changes that can help
Even after knowing the importance of lifestyle not many keep and on open to what they consume and how they spend their days. That needs to be changed if you want to recover from the menopausal symptoms as naturally as you can. Some basic lifestyle changes can show great improvement in your hormonal imbalance:
- Avoiding spicy food
- Regular exercise
- Quit smoking
- Using stress reduction methods
- Practicing mindfulness and yoga
- Wear clothes that allow passage of air
- Ask the older women of your house how they coped with menopause at their time
Who should reconsider before taking Hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone therapy can be good for some people who are having severe menopausal symptoms but some risk factors come with the treatment. That’s why people with certain problems might have to be careful before choosing HRT.
People who are at risk are:
- Those who have uncontrolled hypertension
- People who have high levels of triglycerides and blood clots
- People who suffer from heart disease and stroke
- Those who have breast cancer
- People with gallbladder disease
Bottom line
HRT therapy can be a game changer for women in their menopause because of the benefits it offers. A female body starts showing symptoms of declining bone strength and often falls prey to disorders like osteoporosis. That’s why it’s important to make sure your body doesn’t go through such severe symptoms which can potentially cause harm to your body.
To learn more about the procedure and whether it’s fit for you or not you can talk to hormone doctors who are well-versed in the field.
