Menopause refers to the natural decrease of a woman’s reproductive hormones. These hormones include estrogen and progesterone that play different roles in reproduction. For example, estrogen triggers the growth of the uterine wall and regulates the menstrual cycle. On the other hand, progesterone prepares the uterus for fertilization. The hormone levels should be within a certain range in women. The levels are, however, at peak during puberty and in the 20s. They start declining slowly at 40 years, leading to a period known as menopause. However, you may be younger than 50 years and still experience symptoms of menopause. This happens if you are going through chemotherapy or radiotherapy or have undergone oophorectomy. This is a procedure in which the ovaries, whose function is to produce reproductive hormones, are surgically removed. Therefore, when they are removed, it causes the immediate appearance of menopause symptoms.

Menopause.

During menopause, estrogen, and progesterone are deficient. Therefore, they cannot carry out their functions. This leads to symptoms of menopause such as vaginal dryness, hot flushes, night sweats, hair thinning, dry skin, mood changes, loss of concentration, et cetera. These symptoms can be specific to a particular hormone. Vaginal dryness, for example, is due to low levels of estrogen. You should seek a doctor’s advice as soon as you start to notice symptoms of menopause. The doctor will work on replacing the deficient hormones to relieve the symptoms. When you fail to see a doctor, you are susceptible to menopause complications. Menopause makes you at a high risk of getting certain medical conditions such as osteoporosis where your bone density is low, causing easy fractures. This is because estrogen aids in boosting bone density and strength. Therefore, when the hormone levels decrease, bone density is compromised. Menopause also increases the likelihood of getting heart diseases like high blood pressure. Urinary incontinence and weight gain are also some of the complications.

Menopause treatment.

The treatment for menopause aims at relieving the symptoms. The treatments vary; some are remedies you can do at home, while some require hormone replacement. Home remedies include vitamin D, black cohosh, flax seeds, yoga, regular exercise, sesame seeds, soy, probiotics, and hydration. Each remedy functions by relieving one or two symptoms of menopause. For example, black cohosh relieves hot flushes and night sweats.

Hormone replacement therapy.

This therapy aims at replacing deficient estrogen and progesterone hormones. In menopause, hormone replacement therapy is mainly aimed at raising the levels of estrogen to the normal. The hormone replacement can be in different types such as:

• Vaginal products of low dose.
• Systemic hormone replacement therapy.

Vaginal estrogen is available as pessaries, vaginal rings, or creams. The products are recommended for women who have vaginal dryness as a menopause symptom. The dryness causes burning pain, itching, and inflammation of the vagina after sexual intercourse. Vaginal products, therefore, relieve these problems and improve sexual function. Systemic therapy is in the form of patches and tablets. They have a higher estrogen dose compared to vaginal products. They are referred to as systemic therapy because they deliver estrogen into the bloodstream. The use of estrogen therapy needs to be combined with progesterone therapy. This is because estrogen replacement alone increases the risk of endometrial cancer. Therefore, low-dose progesterone is also necessary.

Is hormone replacement therapy the best treatment for menopause?

Yes, hormone replacement therapy is effective in treating menopause symptoms. In particular, estrogen replacement therapy is the most effective treatment. It can be used in either low or high dose depending on the levels of hormones in your body. Estrogen is the most effective because it helps in relieving most of the menopause symptoms. It relieves hot flashes, hair loss and thinning, dry skin, vaginal dryness, and also improves the density of bones to prevent osteoporosis. Hormone therapy should, however, be used for only a short duration to prevent the development of complications like breast cancer. For a more holistic treatment of menopause, you also need to incorporate some home remedies. You need to eat healthily; this includes avoiding foods that trigger hot flushes such as caffeinated drinks, spicy and sugary foods, and alcohol.

You should also get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and adopt relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, and hypnosis. Our hormone replacement therapy clinic is located at Hoover, Alabama. It offers a broad range of hormone replacement therapy, which includes estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy. The therapy aims at relieving symptoms of menopause and generally improving the quality of life of our patients. If you are seeking hormone replacement therapy to turn your life around, contact us today on 205-352-9141 for an appointment.