Hormone Replacement Therapy

Experiencing hot flashes, vaginal discomfort or intercourse soreness during menopause? Check out our solutions to restore estrogen in your body.

Often used to treat normal menopausal symptoms — such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness — hormone replacement therapy is medication that includes female hormones. These medications are prescribed to restore estrogen females’ bodies discontinue making during menopause. According to the Mayo Clinic, hormone therapy for postmenopausal women also has been shown to prevent bone loss and reduce the risk of bones breaking.

Systemic Therapy and Low-Dose Vaginal Products

There are two methods of therapy to replace the estrogen your body is no longer producing: systemic hormone therapy and low-dose vaginal preparations.

The regular symptoms of menopause can be treated via systemic hormone therapy. Systemic estrogen is prescribed, which comes in the form of pills, skin patches, rings, gel, creams or sprays.
Typically administered to treat vaginal and urinary menopausal symptoms, low-dose vaginal products lower how much estrogen is absorbed by your body. They come in creams, pills or rings.

For women who haven’t had their uterus taken out, a medical prescription of estrogen paired with progestin is a typical recommendation by the GoFertility team. Estrace, a man-made version of Estradiol, helps with vaginal dryness, itching, burning and painful sexual intercourse. Estrogen alone can cause growth in the uterus lining when not coupled with the balancing effect of progestin. For patients who have undergone a hysterectomy, progestin is not needed.

Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy

The prescription of systemic estrogen or low-dose vaginal medications is particularly advantageous for individuals who experience the following symptoms:

Hot flashes: Moderate or severe hot flashes and night sweats caused by menopause can be treated by systemic hormone replacement therapy
Vaginal dryness, itching, burning
Sexual intercourse discomfort
Osteoporosis prevention: Estrogen therapy may be a good solution when other osteoporosis treatments aren’t having their desired effect. Systemic estrogen can help postmenopausal females prevent bone loss or breaks. GoFertility has the capability of testing for osteoporosis with a bone density DXA scan. Reach out to us to learn more about this low-cost offering.
Early menopause or lack of estrogen: When patients no longer have periods prior to turning 45 or have their ovaries surgically removed before this age, their bodies have been exposed to less estrogen. Additionally, women who lost regular function of their ovaries before 40 have less estrogen than those who experience typical menopause. Hormone replacement therapy can help mitigate risk factors affiliated with these circumstances.

Risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy

While hormone replacement therapy carries with it several discussed advantages — plus potential protection against heart disease, colorectal cancer, strokes and dementia — it does include risks. While benefits typically outweigh risks because of the effectiveness of therapy, a study published in the National Library of Medicine listed the following potential effects: elevated risks of breast cancer, gallbladder disease, liver disease, blood clotting, strokes and heart disease in patients taking both estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy. The side effects are absent when you take estrogen only (ERT), which is commonly prescribed in patients who have had a hysterectomy.

Estrogen remains the standard for treating menopausal syndrome for most women as risks affiliated with hormone therapy are quite low. GoFertility’s Dr. Saji Jacob and our team are happy to review your health profile, further discuss the benefits and risks, and make a recommendation as to whether hormone replacement therapy is a good match for you. Get in touch with us at 314-473-1285 or email AGraham@GoFertility.com to have your questions answered. We look forward to assisting you at our St. Louis office!