The Benefits of Hormone Replenishment Therapy
Hormone replenishment therapy has been proven to reduce or alleviate not only many of the immediate symptoms at the onset of menopause, but can provide a lifelong benefit to overall health and well-being through the midlife years and beyond. And thanks to increased research, you have many options for hormone replenishment therapy, as well as other types of hormonal therapy.
Symptom Relief
In postmenopausal women, hormone replenishment therapy reliably alleviates vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) and vaginal atrophy.
Osteoporosis
Hormone replenishment therapy has been used for decades in the treatment of women with osteoporosis. There is a large body of evidence that this therapy decreases bone loss, rebuilds bone, reduces the incidence of fracture and, when started early in the menopause, can prevent loss of height.
Cardiovascular Disease
Published studies suggest that the use of hormone replenishment therapy (without progestins) may result in a 20%-50% reduction in coronary heart disease and associated mortality.3 Because of the design of these studies, this positive benefit cannot be attributed with certainty to hormone replenishment therapy.4,5 Hormone replenishment therapy may also improve lipid profiles (lowering total and LDL cholesterol; raising HDL levels).
Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy
A number of studies have consistently shown that, regardless of the route of administration, hormone replenishment therapy is efficacious in the treatment of vaginal or urogenital atrophy in postmenopausal women.6 Improved sexual function can result from the effect of hormone replenishment therapy in alleviating symptoms of vaginal atrophy, including tissue thinning and dryness.
Incontinence
Studies indicate that hormone replenishment therapy (either orally or vaginally administered) may be effective in treating either stress or urge incontinence. In these studies, estrogen therapy decreased urinary urgency and frequency by improving the integrity of the tissues surrounding the urethra.
Alzheimer’s Disease
A number of epidemiological studies have shown later onset, as well as a possible reduction in the relative risk, of Alzheimer’s disease in postmenopausal women on hormone replenishment therapy. Further studies are being conducted to explore these findings more definitively.
Colon Cancer
A number of epidemiological studies have shown that women who have ever used hormone replenishment therapy have a significantly reduced risk of fatal colon cancer.10 These data are consistent with several studies suggesting that hormone replenishment therapy reduces a woman’s risk of developing colon cancer.
Your clinician can work with you to individualize your care according to your needs, while taking into consideration your current perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms, your medical history, pertinent family history, and how long he or she feels you would benefit from hormone replenishment therapy. Ideally, you should begin therapy by taking the lowest prescribed dose to achieve benefits. The primary short-term goal of hormone replenishment therapy is to provide relief from hot flashes and other vasomotor symptoms; the long-term goal is to prevent and treat vaginal atrophy and reduce the incidence of heart disease and osteoporosis, preferably without uncomfortable side effects.
Early ejaculation is a trouble that plagues many couples. Happily, there is information out there that will help out you to prevent you premature ejaculation problem.
Comments Off
Health Blog
Online Pharmacies
- Raloxifene Helps Bones While Lowering CholesterolA new study demonstrates that raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), protects against osteoporosis, while also reducing the blood level of “bad” LDL cholesterol. A group of researchers from Indiana University, working in collaboration with scientists at Eli Lilly, the drug company which patented and markets raloxifene, published their st […]