Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

HRT is an alternative for the relief of menopausal symptoms such as night sweats, insomnia (sleeping disorder), vaginal dryness and the ever so popular hot flashes to name a few. This is not all, as there might be more than 30 symptoms that sufferers may experience, varying from person to person.

Estrogen is also known for preventing the loss of bone density which leads to a disease called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes thin, weak bones which can easily fracture, and is very common in the elderly.

HRT can delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and can prevent other diseases such as macular degeneration and colon cancer and there are evidence that proves that oral estrogen can help improve cholesterol levels, but have not proven to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Must I take HRT for Menopause

RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS OF HRT

Though there are proven benefits to using HRT, so are there proven side effects. It is difficult to determine the extent of the side effects of the HRT, due to the impossibility of long term clinical trials.

Risk and possible side effects of HRT:

• If estrogen is taken without progesterone or a progestin, there is an increased risk of endometrical cancer.

• After 4 or more years, there is an increased risk of breast cancer, according to WHI studies.

• Taking progestin continuously with estrogen increases breast density making mammograms more difficult to interpret.

• Slightly increased risk of thrombosis (blood clot).

• Slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer.

• Prolonged use of some HRTs may cause an increased risk of heart attack.

• Increased risk of gallbladder disease.

• Breast pain

• Nausea

• Bloating and fluid retention

• HRT can cause negative moodswings.

CONTRA-INDICATION OF HRT

HRT is not recommended for women who has:

• Cardio vascualr disease

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can be a blood clot in the veins, either in the legs or in the lungs or women that had a blood clot during pregnancy.

• Liver disease

• History of uterine cancer or breast cancer

• Vaginal bleeding due to an unknown reason

For a long time it was believed that taking HRT would reduce the risk of heart diseases, but recent studies have proved otherwise. Research has shown that women that recently had an AMI (heart attack) or a CVI (stroke) are more prone to having another attack when they start taking HRT. There are evidence that healthy women starting to take HRT, have a risk of heart attack during their first two years.

CONCLUSION

There are some benefits to taking HRT, but the side effects out number these advantages by far. Women that has previous history of cardiac or vascular diseases should definitely not start taking HRTs as that can cause another attack. If you are experiencing menopausal symptoms, and need treatment, rather do a natural approach. We recommend Naturapause. The natural cure for menopause without the nasty side effects.