WHY HRT?

Should you go for HRT? This question is best answered after talking with your doctor (general practitioner, internist, or gynecologist). He or she can tell you if you should consider HRT or ERT. You probably should not use these supplements if you have liver disease, high levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), or a history of blood clots in your veins. Women with a family history of breast cancer might also want to get the opinion of their cancer doctor.

The first step is to decide how much you are bothered by menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. You will also need to think about your medical history, your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer, and your family history of these illnesses.

Any decision about HRT or ERT that you make now is not final. You can start or end the treatment anytime, but if you stop it, the protective effects of these therapies will stop as well. Your decision about hormone therapy should be reviewed each year with your doctor at your annual checkup. After menopause, it is important to continue yearly breast and vaginal exams, Pap tests, and mammograms, as well as a general physical exam.

Taking HRT/ERT for a short time (perhaps for a few years) may help relieve the annoying symptoms, such as hot flashes, that you may be having during menopause. Taking such hormone supplements for a longer time will help delay osteoporosis, protect against heart disease, improve your cholesterol levels, and
may also help your memory.

Both HRT and ERT can have side effects. You could have bloating, breast tenderness, cramping, irritability, depression, and sometimes spotting or a return of monthly periods for a few months or years. By changing the amount of hormone, the way it is taken, or the timing of the dose, your doctor may be able to control these side effects. They may disappear over time also.

Many women now live 25, 30, or more years after menopause. Could taking hormone therapy for many of those years be helpful to women? Would it be safe? Women and their doctors need to know the benefits and risks of using HRT or ERT for many years. Studies are now being done to provide the answers. Some of the known or suspected risks include Endometrial cancer, Breast Cancer and Blood clots.