Treatments · Menopause & hormone therapy
Menopause: the symptoms can be treated
Menopause is a natural stage, but hot flashes, poor sleep and dryness can affect your day. There are treatments. The one that works best for hot flashes is hormone therapy, and whether it is right for you depends on your age, your health and how long it has been since your last period.
Deciding with information
Is hormone therapy safe? For many women, yes, but not for all. It depends on your age, your health and when your last period was.
We start with your symptoms and your medical history: what you feel, how much it affects you and what your background is.
Hormone therapy replaces the estrogen the body stops making. It is what works best for hot flashes and night sweats, and it also helps protect the bones.
The benefits may outweigh the risks when it is started before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause. The risks include blood clots, stroke and breast cancer, and they vary with the type of hormone, the dose and your history.
There are two ways to use it. For hot flashes, as a pill, patch or gel, which acts on the whole body. For dryness, in low doses applied in the vagina, with very little reaching the rest of the body.
If you still have your uterus, estrogen is given with another hormone that protects it. The aim is the lowest dose that controls your symptoms, for as long as you need it.
If you cannot or do not want to use hormones, there are hormone-free medications for hot flashes.
At follow-up we check that the benefit still outweighs the risk, and your routine screenings, such as mammograms and Pap tests, stay up to date.
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What patients ask most
Does hormone therapy cause cancer?
It can raise the risk of breast cancer in some women. That risk depends on the type of hormone, the dose and your history. For a healthy woman who starts close to menopause and before age 60, it is generally a safe option. That is what we review at the visit.
How long is it used?
For as long as needed to control the symptoms, at the lowest dose that works and with regular check-ins.
What if I cannot use hormones?
There are hormone-free medications for hot flashes, and for dryness there are moisturizers and lubricants. Hormones are generally not prescribed if you have had breast cancer or blood clots.
How do I know if I am in menopause?
Menopause is when periods stop for good. Before that there is a stage of change, with irregular periods, that no single test identifies: it is assessed from your age, your periods and your symptoms.
Sources
This page is for information only and does not replace a medical evaluation. It was prepared based on:
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