HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy - Hormone Treatment

Linda Bruton asked:


The most common menopausal symptom for most women is also the most uncomfortable. Women who would otherwise hardly notice the transition into menopause definitely notice hot flashes! The medical treatment that was usually suggested for hot flashes in the past was hormone replacement therapy. While HRT can be very effective in alleviating the symptoms it can also increase your risk of breast cancer and stroke. It is no wonder that so many women are using herbal remedies for hot flashes.

The exact cause of hot flashes is unclear, but hormonal changes and imbalances are thought to be the main reason. Medical professionals consider hot flashes as an estrogen deficiency that can be triggered by stimulants, such as spicy foods (ginger, cayenne, pepper), acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, pickles), hot drinks, alcoholic drinks, caffeine (chocolate, coffee, cola, black tea), white sugar, stress, hot weather, saturated or hydrogenated fats (margarine, meat), saunas and hot tubs, marijuana or tobacco, intense exercise, and anger. For many women, just eliminating that list of triggers plus using herbal remedies for hot flashes will bring immediate relief.

Hot flashes may last for a few minutes or even up to an hour. They may be mild or very severe. Every woman will experience them a little differently. Hot flashes which occur at night are called night sweats. They can be accompanied with anxiety and nightmares. Not all women experience hot flashes and fewer experience night sweats. However, many women experience both situations when they are going through menopause.

Exercise is a good way of decreasing hot flashes because it decreases the amount of FSH and LH hormone circulation by toning and nourishing the hypothalamus and raising endorphin levels.

Herbal remedies for hot flashes include plants that have the ability to cool the body, such as chickweed, violet, and elder; plants which increase and nourish oxygen utilization of the liver, such as dandelion, dong quai, polygonum multiflorum,, and yellow duck; and plants which contains high phytosterols, most notably black cohosh.

These are some of the most used herbal remedies for hot flashes:

1. Dong quai relaxes and contracts the uterine muscles. Its effect is not estrogenic, which is the main reason for dong quai’s effectiveness. It treats hot flashes by stabilizing the blood vessels.

2. Chaste berry or vitex affects the functions of the pituitary and regulates dizziness and hot flashes. Its beneficial effects are altering the secretion of FSH and LH hormones during menopause. It lowers the levels of estrogen while increasing progesterone levels, which keep vaginal walls and bones strong.

3. Black cohosh was used widely by Native Americans and later by the American colonists for relieving menopause and menstrual cramps. Clinical studies have revealed that black cohosh extract relieves hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, and depression.

4. Motherwort lessens the frequency, duration and severity of hot flashes. It relieves anxiety, insomnia, and stress. Frequent usage will produce the best results.

5. Licorice root is historically used for treating various female disorders. It also has been used effectively in treating asthma and infections of the respiratory tract. It also decreases estrogen and increases progesterone.

6. Essential oils of thyme or basil alleviate hot flashes when utilized in baths, foot rubs, when inhaled, or combined with massage oils.

These herbal remedies for hot flashes - when combined with eliminating common triggers - can greatly reduce menopausal symptoms in most women.



Dylan

Rebecca Prescott asked:


The thyroid is a small but important gland that is located in the neck, and its function is to produce hormones that are controlled by the pituitary gland. TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is sent out by the pituitary gland and results in the production of thyroxine by the thyroid. Thyroxine affects a number of functions in the human body, and this includes moods, heart rate, body heat, metabolism, body heat, skin and hair growth, memory, energy, and periods.

Thyroid problems and HRT

There are a number of links when it comes to thyroid problem and HRT. Firstly, one thing to note is that some of the symptoms of thyroid problems can be very similar to those of menopause. This means that women of menopausal age that develop thyroid problems may not even realize anything is amiss, putting the symptoms down to menopause. These conditions can often come about at around the same time in a woman’s life, and therefore if your doctor does not suggest it, you may also want to ask for a thyroid function test if you go to see your doctor for menopausal symptoms. As many as 26% of women are diagnosed with low thyroid function around the time of menopause.

Another thing to note is that thyroid problems can be a result of the onset of the menopause. Dr Christiane Northrup cites the work of John R Lee MD when she writes that “there appears to be a cause-and-effect relationship between hypothyroidism, in which there are inadequate levels of thyroid hormone, and estrogen dominance.”

Estrogen needs to be balanced by appropriate levels of the hormone progesterone. If it isn’t, and estrogen levels are too high, it can block the effect of the thyroid hormones. This means that even if your body is producing enough thyroid hormones, they are not able to be effective, and symptoms of hypothyroidism can be experienced.

The problem with this scenario is that normal thyroid levels generally show up in a medical test, so it is difficult to diagnose. If a woman is estrogen dominant and then given more estrogen with HRT, this can make the thyroid problems worse.

In order to reduce the risk of thyroid problems or to help ease thyroid problems HRT patients should ensure that they have their thyroid function tested regularly, as well as her other hormone levels. This means at the start of HRT treatment and also in the event that you change your HRT or change the dosage that you are taking. And given that depression is associated with thyroid problems, if this is not helped, or becomes worse after taking HRT, then the wider hormonal picture really needs to be taken into account.

There are a number of thyroid function tests that can be carried out in order to try and monitor thyroid problems or function. Thyroid problems can include hypothyroidism, where the thyroid in under-active, and hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid is overactive. The symptoms of each of these thyroid conditions can vary.

With hypothyroidism the symptoms can include depression, weight gain, fatigue, sluggishness, itchy and dry skin, dry or thinning hair, muscle cramps, constipation, feeling cold, joint aches, facial swelling, mood swings, snoring, dizziness, light sensitivity, problems with periods, exhaustion, and forgetfulness.

The symptoms of an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, include irritability, nervousness, brittle hair and thinning skin, weakness in the upper arms and thighs, excessive perspiration, increased bowel movement, increased heart rate, shaking hands, lighter periods, weight loss, and fewer periods.

In order to try and avoid thyroid problems HRT patients should seek advice from their doctor with regards to regular testing whilst on HRT. And those that feel that they are experiencing the onset of the menopause should also speak to their doctor about thyroid testing to ensure that the symptoms are not getting confused and their thyroid problem does not go undetected.



Liam

Rebecca Prescott asked:


HRT has many benefits to menopausal women, although with long term use it can have some serious side effects too.

These side effects have received a lot of publicity recently, and led to a reappraisal by the medical establishment on how HRT is administered, and to whom. In the UK, the recommendation now is to prescribe HRT to women who experience severe side effects during menopause. But when women do not suffer side effects, the feeling is that the risks outweigh any possible benefits. But given that up to 75% of women in the UK have severe menopausal symptoms, this still leads to widespread use.

Doctors in the UK have said that in the short term, the risks of HRT are minimal. But the longer a woman takes hormone replacement therapy, the greater is the risk of developing breast cancer and strokes.

HRT comes in different forms. There is estrogen-only HRT, which tends to be given only to women who don’t have their uterus as it can increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer. This is because all of that estrogen causes the endometrial lining of the uterus to build up. The other types of HRT also contain estrogen, as the goal of hormone replacement therapy is to replace the estrogen that the body is producing less of. But they have a type of progesterone called progestogen added to them. Progestogen is an oral form of progesterone that counteracts the build up of uterine tissue. It is stronger than progesterone cream, which does not counteract the effects of estrogen on the uterus.

Hormone replacement therapy can be taken orally, as a patch, a cream, gels, nasal sprays, implants, a pessary, or as a vaginal ring that contains estrogen. The latter will help reduce vaginal symptoms.

It’s important to remember that HRT is not a contraceptive. So, if you are still menstruating when you start taking hormone replacement therapy, you’ll still need to use some form of birth control. The form of HRT given to women who are still menstruating is a sequential combined HRT. Estrogen is taken every day, but progestogen is also taken for 12 to 14 days of a woman’s cycle. Thus, women will still bleed every month. It should only be light however. And as HRT doesn’t cause ovulation or restore fertility, these will not be like regular periods. However, if your body is still ovulating naturally, however irregularly, there is a risk of falling pregnant even whilst taking hormone replacement therapy. Whilst the chance of falling pregnant is lower, as many as two thirds of the women between the ages of 40 and 44 are still ovulating regularly. So, it’s important to consider some form of contraception if you don’t want to fall pregnant.



Julia

Chelly L asked:


I’m a MTF transsexual and i’ll be starting HRT soon; when I start how will my emotions be? What will life be like for me emotionally after I start HRT? Will the new feminine emotions be hard to control at first?

Chelsey

Chelly asked:


What do boobs feel like when they start to develop? What body and emotional changes will I experience?

Isabel

Ruxandra V asked:


My mum is one of the millions of ladies in this world who needs to take HRT. I was shocked when she told me she has to pay for it. On the other hand I am on the pill and I get it for free. Shouldn’t it be pretty much the other way round since the pill is optional and not compulsary? What do u think? What your opinions and maybe one day someone will listen and make them free for all the needy women. Thanks everyone!

Cassie

fetishking7 asked:


When did you start hormone replacement therapy? Any negative side effects? Would you recommend it or should guys look for alternative ways of reaching normal testosterone levels? Tell me anything and everything you want about HRT. Thanks.

Gage

Mandy B asked:


I am having trouble sleeping i wake up gasping like i stopped breathing had sleep apnea test done normal results having heart palpitations and dizziness. i feel like giving up. The docs don’t seem to take me serious. I am miserable and feeling so hopeless. I worry and i know anxiety causes alot of symptoms but i feel like it’s more than just anxiety. Had heart test done in er and they were normal.

Nicolette

lavenderbluelassie asked:


Shouldn’t there be a connection between birth control pills and breast cancer as well???? Why was that never discussed in the news? We are seeing more and more women develop this disease BEFORE menopause.

Quentin

gfrancioso asked:


I switch my hormon replacment terapy from Prempro to a Combipatch (Estalis) by NOVARTIS , Is anyone uot there with any suggestion or experience any side effects?
Thank you.
Pina

Allyson