Menopause - Hormone Replacement Therapy

Menopause is a process that every woman’s body must go through. Most women

probably know the side effects, symptoms, and overall discomfort that come with menopause and this can, of course, make them feel worried that it may affect their personal, social, or professional lives. Yet, if there was a solution that could help ease the pain of menopause would most women take it? Probably, but what many women don’t know is that there can be serious side effects when going through Hormonal Replacement Therapy.

Before one can understand Hormonal Replacement Therapy, they must first understand what menopause is. Menopause is a natural part of aging and it occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop producing a chemical called estrogen, which therefore cause irregular menstruation cycles and eventually the menstruation cycles ending all together (Hempel, Md.). The process of menopause usually occurs in women between the ages of 45 to 60, but can also occur much earlier or later in a woman’s life.

When a woman’s body stops producing estrogen, it can cause many uncomfortable symptoms. Several of the short term symptoms include; hot flashes, mood changes, irregular periods, vaginal or urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence, inflammation of the vagina, sleep disorders, or decreased sexual desire (Cooper). There are also long term symptoms in which a woman may endure such as; an increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis (Hempel, Md.). Although these symptoms may seem uncomfortable and seem as though they could disrupt a woman’s social, professional, and personal life there are options that a woman can use to alleviate these symptoms. The one major option for women is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT can be a favorable option for women who want to go through this stage of their lives without having to endure discomfort; however HRT can also cause some major health issues.

HRT is simply medication that contains one or more female hormones. Most often it contains a mixture of estrogen and progestin, which, in turn, makes synthetic progesterone (Bock). Progesterone is a naturally occurring form of steroid hormones which are produced in the ovaries and prepare a woman for pregnancy (Huesman, RpH.). As long as a woman is ovulating there are natural levels of progesterone in a woman’s uterus, but the levels usually fluctuate during her menstruation cycle. However, once a woman begins menopause, her body begins to produce less and less estrogen and progestin. This is what causes the women to have an imbalance of estrogen and progestin, which is essentially responsible for all of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause (Project Aware).

When a woman decides to go through HRT it is actually pretty simple. For instance, HRT is available through pills, patches, or vaginal creams (Cooper). The most recommended type of therapy is cyclic hormone therapy. With this therapy, a pill, which contains estrogen, is taken for 25 days, with progestin added between days 10 and 14. Then, for the remainder of the 25 days, both estrogen and progestin are taken simultaneously. Then no pills are taken for 3-5 days (Cooper). Another easy form of HRT is using a patch. The patch is applied to the abdomen or thigh and the estrogen is absorbed through the bloodstream (Cooper). This is can be a favorable option for women who don’t want to take pills.

HRT can also have some unpleasant and dangerous side effects. The unpleasant side effects can include irregular bleeding, bloating, headaches, breast tenderness and irritability (Hormone Replacement Therapy Side Effects: The Findings of the Women’s Health Initiative and Other Studies). Also, woman with breast cancer, active liver disease, a history of blood clots, or unexplained vaginal bleeding should, under no circumstance, go on HRT (Cooper). Additionally women who have migraine headaches, high triglycerides, gallbladder or chronic liver disease, a history of cancer of the uterus or ovaries, fibroids, history of endometriosis, or a history of exposure to the estrogen DES should go under careful evaluation before even considering HRT (Hueseman, RpH.).

HRT is also supposed to increase the risk of breast cancer. The reason being is that the hormone receptors on breast cells respond to signals from hormones. Then these signals turn on growth in breast cells that have receptors (Fletcher). One cancer that HRT can cause is lobular carcinoma. This is a cancer that starts in the milk-making gland. It tends to crate a thickening instead of lump in the breast and can escape detection by breast exam and mammography, therefore causing the cancer to be found at later stages when the diagnosis is worse (Fletcher).

HRT has also been linked to coronary heart disease. A recent study had post menopausal women between the ages of 50-79 going on HRT, which involved estrogen and progestin, for 8.5