Menopause And Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
By: Michelle Peters | Posted: 23rd December 2009
Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):
ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS TO USING HRT DURING MENOPAUSE?
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.
About the author
Learn about all the signs and symptoms of menopause. Learn why it is manifesting and also how the body is affected by these symptoms. Learn how to live with it, and learn how to prevent or cure it, visit
http://www.menopause4u.com
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Tags: breast cancer, cholesterol levels, risk of heart disease, bone density, vaginal dryness, colon cancer, menopausal symptoms, fluid retention, gallbladder disease, hormone replacement therapy, hrt, breast pain, sleeping disorder, risk of heart attack, ovarian cancer, mammograms