What do you know about hormone replacement therapy?

If you’ve heard the term but don’t know much about it, this article is for you. We’ll discuss 10 things you need to know before starting hormone replacement therapy and help clarify what it can do for you.

Ready to dive in?

1. Get Better Control of Mood Swings

If you’ve been having trouble with mood swings and you might suspect it could be due to hormonal causes, this might be for you.

Not being in control of your emotions and feeling irritable for no reason can be quite frustrating for any woman, especially those who are about to enter menopause.

Hormonal replacement might be able to stabilize your mood swings by bringing estrogen and other hormones to an equal level.

A doctor might be able to give you the right dosage to get your hormones leveled.

2. The Right Doctor Matters

When you decide you might be a good candidate for hormonal replacement therapy, you will need to find the right doctor.

As with any service you try to find, the key is to find the one who is right for you.

If your OBGYN is not familiar with hormone replacement or you don’t feel comfortable, you can always find a new one.

Ensure you find an OBGYN who has experience with hormonal replacement. Getting your hormones regulated is a balancing act so you want someone who has successfully done it in the past.

3. The Facts About Bioidenticals

What do you know about Bioidenticals? The truth is there are many misconceptions when it comes to bioidenticals.

While some believe these hormones to be natural and safer than other hormones approved by the FDA, there’s a debate on whether or not this is true.

These hormones are marketed as being identical to hormones produced naturally in the human body. However, there is no hormone replacement that can compare to what the body naturally produces.

4. You Can Get Custom Hormones

Did you know hormone replacement is not all size fits all? For starters, if you’re reluctant to try hormonal replacement because you only needed it to treat certain problems, then you’re in luck.

You can take these hormones to balance certain problem areas in your body, one example is vaginal dryness. Having vaginal dryness can be treated using a hormonal replacement that only targets this area.

You might be able to get a dosage of hormones directly into your vagina, which will take care of the problem.

5. Compounded Hormones, Are They FDA Tested?

Some women might be worried about using compounded hormones because of their lack of FDA approval.

As the name suggests, these hormones are typically tailored for each patient and put together by a pharmacist.

Because they’re put together on the stop for each person, they lack the supervision and testing of the FDA.

The compounding of these hormones might vary from pharmacy to pharmacy which is why some women like to stay clear of them.

6. It’s Not Required to Test Your Hormone Levels

You might think your doctor will be required to check your hormone levels before prescribing the correct dose of hormones, but this isn’t the case.

Doctors and medical organizations don’t think it’s necessary to test your hormone levels before starting on hormonal replacements.

However, they do recommend you get your thyroid tested since symptoms of thyroid conditions can often be similar to those of menopause.

Most likely, they will want to eliminate the possibility of a thyroid condition before they move to hormonal replacement treatments.

7. Start Premenopause

While menopause is often marked by the lack of a menstrual cycle after a full year, it’s not that simple.

Premenopause symptoms can take a toll on a woman’s body and even affect their emotions.

When women’s bodies are in the process of making the change, a lot of hormonal changes will happen.

They will feel the shift in their hormones, which is why some of them resort to hormone replacement therapy. If they start hormone replacement during premenopause, they might be able to prevent imbalances early on.

8. Overactive Bladder Symptoms

Many women suffer from an overactive bladder. This condition is characterized by the urge to urinate and not having control of when it happens.

Women who suffer from overactive bladders often feel self-conscious over this condition.

Hormone replacement has proven to be effective in the treatment of overactive bladder conditions when it’s applied directly to the vagina.

Some women feel the symptoms of an overactive bladder got worse as they approached menopause.

While some women didn’t see an improvement in these symptoms, some did.

9. Menopause and Hormone Replacement

While some women might want to resort to hormone replacement therapy after menopause to ease their symptoms, there’s always a downside.

The truth is, menopause is a normal part of life, and using hormone replacement therapy to stop aging it always comes with added risks.

For example, all the combination of added hormones might have risks for blood clots, stroke, heart disease or even breast cancer.

Let’s say a woman starts hormonal replacement therapy 10 to 20 years before menopause with the intent of delaying it, she could be at a higher risk.

10. Annual Doctor Visits

Even if you want things to stay the same, they can’t. Since older women have a higher risk of developing the before mentioned health risks, they need to speak to their doctor at least once a year.

A doctor will be able to determine whether or not continuing with hormonal replacement therapy is the best choice.

It’s important to speak to a doctor about any concerns relating to hormone replacement therapy.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: The Bottom Line

Now that you know more about hormone replacement therapy you can decide whether or not it’s right for you.

It can help ease the symptoms of menopause, aid women with an overactive bladder, and help control mood swings.

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