What is hormone replacement therapy? HRT is short for “hormone replacement.” The hormones that women are born with are called estrogen and progesterone. When these hormones drop, women experience many symptoms which can include hot flashes, mood swings, depression, fatigue, and swelling of the legs and feet. These symptoms can be treated with prescription medications, but they often result in unpleasant side effects and can put women’s lives out of order. Hormone replacement therapy is a new type of hormone treatment used to treat these symptoms, and it is proving to help many women.
Like other prescription medications, what is hormone replacement therapy? HRT involves taking synthetic hormones, called “the modulators,” and putting them into the body at specific times to replace the natural levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Some of the more commonly prescribed HRT drugs are: Follicle Stimulator (FSH), Clomid, and BHRT (progestromin). These work by stimulating ovulation to trigger menstruation, while reducing other symptoms that result from low levels of the two sex hormones.
The goal of what is hormone replacement therapy? Medical research indicates that physical stress and diet can both affect women’s health and symptoms during menopause, which means that there might be a correlation between these treatments and the alleviation of menopause symptoms. Many physicians think that the most effective way to treat symptoms of menopause is by replacing the natural amounts of the two hormones estrogen and progesterone with synthetic versions. By doing this, women can experience improved sexual function, prevent headaches, feel better about themselves, and even improve their memory, skin, and heart health.
What is hormone replacement therapy? To answer the question posed above, it is important to understand what causes hormone deficiencies and how these deficiencies affect the body. Hormones are naturally produced in a woman’s body. Menopause is when these hormones stop being produced. When this happens, the body stops responding to outside stimuli like temperature changes, which cause the body to lock into the same state for several years, and experience symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
So, what is hormone replacement therapy? Hormone treatment is simply replacement of one or sometimes both of a female’s hormones with another, usually a synthetic form of the hormone. HRT may be used to relieve symptoms like hot flashes and other “night sweats.” But some women choose to use this treatment, primarily, as a method of menopausal relief. This can be a good choice, if the patient chooses a doctor who is sympathetic to women’s needs for temporary relief.
Hormone treatment is usually performed in an office, but some patients choose to take hormones by mouth. In this case, the hormones are taken by mouth from a single vial. Each vial contains a certain amount of the hormones. The vials are then put into the purse or backpack. Most of the time, the hormones will pass through the body by the end of the day. If the hormones are stopped at any point before the end of the day, special precautions will need to be taken to make sure that no adverse reactions occur.
One of the most common side effects of testosterone replacement therapy is osteoporosis. This is actually a symptom of menopause, because the extra estrogen and progesterone are stopping the body from making enough calcium. As women age, they start to produce less bone. This condition usually becomes worse during and after menopause, but may persist throughout the woman’s life. In addition to osteoporosis, other symptoms can be alleviated with regular hormonal replacements.
Some women do not want to use hormone treatments for the simple reason that they want to live a normal and “normal” life. They may also feel that there are too many risks and side effects to deal with. These women may choose to take a hormone supplement, which is taken orally once per day. A woman who decides to take a hormone supplement will have a hormone level consultation with her primary care doctor. Then, she will decide if the benefits of taking the supplements outweigh the risks. Hormone supplementation is usually covered by health insurance.
I have found Dr. O at Okojie Wellness to be a really sympathetic ear and he looks at the process as an overall balancing exercise rather than just simple injections.
