Menopause is a natural stage of life, but the transition can bring uncomfortable symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. While some women navigate menopause with little discomfort, others experience more severe symptoms that disrupt their daily lives.
Hormone therapy is an effective treatment for menopause symptoms, but not all women need it. If you’re approaching the change of life, you may wonder when to consider hormone therapy.
At MS Family Medicine Health Care, PC, in Mineola and Rosedale, New York, Dr. Michele Reed and our family medicine team help women navigate their way through menopause, offering hormone therapy as part of our primary care service.
Here, we want to explain when it’s time to consider hormone therapy.
Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years, when your ovaries stop releasing eggs, and you no longer menstruate. When your period stops, production of the hormones that run your menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone, declines.
The change in hormone production causes many of the symptoms associated with menopause, including:
Women officially reach menopause when they go one full year without their period. However, it doesn't happen all at once.
Many women experience symptoms associated with menopause for months or years before their period stops due to fluctuations in hormone levels. This transitional period is called perimenopause.
Changes in hormone production also put women at risk of health issues like heart disease and osteoporosis.
The type and severity of menopause symptoms vary. However, for women with severe symptoms, hormone therapy may provide relief.
Hormone therapy involves replacing the hormones affected before, during, and after menopause to rebalance your levels. Treatment options include:
Estrogen is the hormone that provides the best relief from menopause symptoms. We recommend estrogen-only hormone therapy to women who’ve had a hysterectomy — surgery to remove your uterus.
Doctors recommend estrogen and progesterone therapy, also called combined therapy, for women who still have their uterus. Adding progesterone with estrogen may protect against uterine cancer, which is a risk to women with a uterus who take estrogen only.
We prescribe the lowest dose necessary for symptom relief in the form best suited for you: pills, gel, spray, or cream. You remain on hormone therapy for as long as the benefits outweigh the risks, usually 2-5 years.
If your menopause symptoms are severe and disruptive to your daily routine, you might consider hormone therapy. It’s a safe and effective treatment for many women and may reduce your risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer.
However, hormone therapy isn’t recommended if you have a history of breast or uterine cancer. It’s also not safe for women with blood clots or liver disease.
We’re available to talk with you about hormone therapy and help you decide if it’s the right choice for you. Call our office today or request an appointment online to get started.
