Although the average age of menopause onset is between 50-53, and the most severe symptoms often last for two to three years, there are no exact age when a woman reaches menopause or the duration of her symptoms. Contributors to the onset and duration of menopause would be family history, health history and a history of smoking. Medical professionals have altered their opinions about the role of hormones as more research has been conducted for menopause treatment. Recent studies such as the WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) have provided clarity for the majority of women, but may not necessarily address all of the symptoms and issues an individual woman faces as her hormones decline. Only the woman alone, with the direction of her clinician, can do that. It is important that when seeking out treatment for relief of menopausal symptoms that you find a clinic that specializes in hormone replacement therapy, like Hormone Wellness Center of Texas. Specialists will continue to stay focused on the latest offerings in HRT, rather than offering it as a side treatment in general practice.
Several factors may be part of a woman’s personal decision to start hormone replacement therapy—her age, her preferences, different treatment options, and the investment. After a thorough evaluation with a clinician that specializes in hormone replacement therapy, different options for the treatment of the symptoms can be determined.
Hormone replacement therapy has evolved over the years. In the 80’s and 90’s the number one prescription medication in the America was Premarin, a synthetic estrogen-based drug addressing the symptoms of menopause. For decades, women turned to this drug as an effective treatment of menopausal symptoms and found improved quality of life with this hormone replacement therapy. Then in 2002, synthetic estrogen was found to be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women taking it over long periods of time. Sadly, result of these findings caused the negative stigma for the use of all hormone replacement therapy. This resulted in the common belief that all hormone replacement therapy was dangerous. At the time of the study, there were some inconsistencies of the results. Absolutely no distinction was made between the synthetic and natural forms of hormone replacement therapy. Sadly, for many women suffering with the symptoms of menopause, this meant the options for treatment were scarce.
During this same time of 2002 study, another hormone was being researched for use in menopausal women, called testosterone. Many people assume that testosterone is a hormone that only occurs in men. Testosterone is actually the dominant hormone in women. Women have about 20 times more testosterone than estrogen. All estrogen in women ultimately comes from testosterone or a testosterone-like hormone. Without testosterone, there is no estrogen, which is the key to treating the main symptoms of menopause. Preliminary research showed that using testosterone alone, without any other hormone placement therapy, not only improved all symptoms of menopause in women, but also resulted in a decrease in expected breast cancer rates.
In 2004, researchers in Australia studied the benefits of including testosterone to conventional hormone replacement therapy. More specifically, they studied pellet therapy. A hormone pellet is compounded and then tightly compressed into a small cylinder that is inserted underneath the skin in the fatty part of the hip. This will slowly dissolve over time allowing the body to absorb small amounts at a time.
After starting hormone replacement therapy, patients at Hormone Wellness Center of Texas reported significant improvement in their quality of life and all symptoms related to menopause. Some of the menopausal symptom relief included hot flashes, sleep disturbances, depression, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, and even joint pain. With the careful evaluation of the experts at Hormone Wellness Center of Texas patients found relief of these symptoms and without any major adverse drug effects
It’s an unfortunate truth that hormone replacement therapy used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms continues to be misunderstood. The facts remain, there are ways for doctors and health-care providers to use hormone replacement therapy to safely manage the symptoms of menopause. At Hormone Wellness Center of Texas, the results are clear, with their expert direction their patients regain their quality of life.
5 Responses
Thanks for mentioning that patients say that hormone therapy eases menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and irritability. My mother’s menopause has gotten worse over the last few months, and she’s always hot and cranky. Nothing seems to help, so maybe she should see if hormone therapy can reduce the symptoms.
It’s awesome how you point out that patients reported significant improvement in their quality of life and symptoms related to menopause after starting hormone therapy. My mom is in her fifties, and she’s been experiencing symptoms of menopause for the last few years. She’s always pretty uncomfortable due to those symptoms. I think it would be an awesome idea for her to consider hormone therapy so that she doesn’t feel so uncomfortable all the time.
Thanks for explaining how hormone replacement therapy can help reduce the symptoms of menopause. It would make sense to find a qualified service to get this therapy from. My mom is going through menopause right now, so maybe hormone therapy would help her manage the sympotms.
I know that my wife is thinking about getting hormone replacement therapy. It’s good to know that there are a lot of things to keep in mind when choosing the best treatment option. It’s also nice that this type of therapy has evolved a lot throughout the years based on new drugs coming out, like you said.
I never knew that hormone therapy was used when it came to helping menopausal women get through the last stages of growth for their bodies and help them relax. Another thing that hormone replacement therapy does is relieve the symptoms that come with menopause such as heat flashes, disturbed sleeping patterns, depression, to name a few. Now that I know how beneficial it is for menopausal women, maybe I can convince my mother to start this treatment to treat her joint pains.