Each year millions of women transition out of their childbearing years as their ovaries stop producing estrogen. You’re in menopause when you haven’t had a period for at least a year. For some women, the transition to menopause is smooth and problem-free.
For many others, it’s fraught with uncomfortable symptoms like night sweats, vaginal dryness, and hot flashes. Replacing the hormones your body no longer makes remains the most effective way to relieve menopause symptoms.
Here’s what every woman considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms should know.
Is hormone therapy right for you?
HRT involves replacing the female hormones your body no longer produces. As with any medical treatment, it’s crucial to arm yourself with knowledge so that, together with your gynecologist, you can make an informed decision.
The decision to start HRT for menopause symptoms is made only after speaking with your doctor and carefully considering the benefits and risks. While HRT is beneficial for many women going through menopause, it’s not an appropriate solution for every woman.
Discussing it with your doctor is the only way to know if HRT is right for you.
You don’t have to put up with uncomfortable menopause symptoms
If you weren’t lucky enough to transition into menopause in a care-free, gleeful manner, then you know how the symptoms can interfere with your daily life. In the past, menopause was viewed as a right of passage that women simply had to put up with.
Today, solutions like hormone therapy provide relief and help improve women’s quality of life during menopause. The most common symptoms related to lack of female hormones during menopause include:
Fatigue
Hot flashes
Mood swings
Night sweats
Weight gain
Decreased muscle mass
Vaginal dryness
Reduced libido
Depression
Anxiety
Weak bladder
Problems sleeping
Pain during sex
This isn’t an exhaustive list. You may experience menopause symptoms that aren’t listed, since they can vary greatly from woman to woman.
How menopause symptoms impact daily life
The discomfort from menopause symptoms can get severe enough that they significantly impair your daily life. Patients report that symptoms like hot flashes and problems sleeping impact their productivity at work.
Anxiety and depressive symptoms may disrupt your family and social relationships and symptoms like vaginal dryness and painful intercourse can interfere with intimate relationships. Weight gain and loss of muscle can make you feel self-conscious and impact your body image, while fatigue can cause you to miss out on activities you enjoy.
Getting relief from menopause symptoms
Replacing female hormones, particularly estrogen, effectively relieves menopause symptoms. Patients are often astounded at how much better they feel after starting HRT. Hormone replacement comes in pills, patches, gels, and creams. Dr. Lori will work with you to find the best solution for you. She understands it is not always easy to find a solution that is right for you. But she will work with you to find a solution that is right for you.
Replacing missing hormones also eases vaginal symptoms like dryness, itching, and burning. Women often say they feel more like themselves after receiving several weeks of hormone replacement.
Additional benefits of HRT
In addition to relieving menopause symptoms, HRT protects against osteoporosis. Estrogen plays a role in keeping your bones strong. As estrogen levels decline, women are at risk of thinning bones.
Menopause symptoms don’t have to control your life. For effective management of your symptoms, call our Greenwood, Indiana, office to schedule an appointment with gynecologist and women’s health specialist, Dr. Lori Davidson.