Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You?
During your menopausal years, your ovaries make increasingly lower levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Decreasing hormone levels can cause a variety of menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
For some women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can relieve menopausal symptoms and help restore quality of life. HRT replaces the hormones that your ovaries no longer make with supplemented hormones.
If you’re wondering whether HRT is the right treatment for your menopausal symptoms, the women’s health experts at Virtuosa GYN in San Antonio, Texas, can help. Our OB/GYNs have extensive experience working with women to make the best choices for menopausal symptom relief.
Read on to learn about whether HRT might be the right therapy for you.
Common menopausal symptoms
Menopause can cause many different symptoms, including:
- Chronic vaginal and urinary tract infections
- Discomfort during vaginal intercourse
- Fatigue
- Hot flashes
- Loss of libido
- Memory problems and brain fog
- Mood changes, including feelings of depression and anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
- Urinary incontinence
- Vaginal dryness
- Weight gain
How HRT can help
HRT restores hormone levels so they’re closer to pre-menopausal levels. HRT can cause menopausal symptoms to diminish or disappear.
When vaginal issues such as vaginal dryness and discomfort during intercourse are the main cause of menopausal symptoms, you may also benefit from using estrogen products such as creams, rings, or tablets that you insert into your vagina.
But unlike HRT, these forms of topical hormone therapy don’t help with systemic problems such as hot flashes or night sweats.
Are you a good candidate for HRT?
HRT is considered safe for women with a low risk of certain health problems. But it’s typically not recommended for women with the following:
- A personal history or elevated risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, or blood clots
- A personal or family history of breast cancer
- A family history of gallbladder disease
- Liver disease
Bioidentical hormones
Here at Virtuosa GYN, we recommend bioidentical hormones for HRT rather than synthetic hormones. The hormones used in bioidentical hormone replacement are identical to the natural estrogen and progesterone your body produces.
Unlike synthetic hormones, our bioidentical hormones are custom-compounded at the pharmacy based on your testing results, so you get the dosages of estrogen and progesterone that are right for you.
This is important because HRT is safest when you take the lowest possible effective dose. Tailoring HRT to your personal needs allows you to minimize the risk of side effects.
Schedule an appointment for a personalized treatment plan
Here at Virtuosa GYN, we take your medical history and symptoms into account when creating a personalized menopause symptom relief plan. Whether or not you’re a candidate for HRT, we can help you feel less burdened by menopausal discomforts. Call us to schedule a consultation with one of our care providers.
