What are the benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women?
Each year, millions of women across the United States, including those in Charlotte, NC, turn to hormone replacement therapy to help with a broad range of symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances.
Often brought on by age or pre/peri/post-menopause, many women experience negative side effects caused by a decreased production of estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone.
In this guide, we explore the benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormones can be thought of as the chemical messengers and mediators of biological and physiological processes. Secreted by your endocrine glands, these hormones are responsible for a spectrum of bodily functions. When they become unbalanced, often due to under or over-production, it can cause a multitude of complications, ranging from minor inconveniences or annoyances, to life-threatening conditions.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment option used to help restore the body’s natural balance of hormones. For women, HRT is commonly used to combat the symptoms associated with menopause. To do so, replacement hormones, usually estrogen and/or progesterone are prescribed.
What Are the Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women?
1. Relief from The Symptoms of Menopause
Menopause is a natural transitional period in a woman’s life. Among the many other changes that your body will go through is a reduction in hormone production. This can lead to a range of symptoms that many women would rather not endure.
Among the Menopausal Symptoms that HRT Can Help Alleviate Are:
- Hot flashes
- Chills
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Excessive Sweating
- Vaginal Dryness
2. Vaginal Health
A reduction in estrogen can result in physiological as well as physical changes to the vagina, vaginal tissue, pH balance, and lining.
These Changes Can Cause:
- Vaginal dryness
- Vulvar atrophy
- Urinary incontinence
- Vaginal pain and/or discomfort
- Inflammation of vaginal tissues
- Atrophic vaginitis
- And more…
If you have been experiencing any of the above symptoms, consider speaking with your doctor about HRT. For many women, HRT offers relief and improved quality of life.
3. Ovarian Health
HRT can help restore ovarian health in several ways. Responsible for estrogen production, ovaries can become damaged or diseased, causing them to reduce or stop production altogether. In such cases, HRT can help to restore hormonal balance.
Ovarian Issues that May Be Treated with HRT Include:
- Female hypogonadism
- Ovarian scaring or fibrosis
- Oophorectomy
- Ovarian removal
- Ovarian cysts
- Hysterectomy
- And more…
4. Bone Health
Estrogen has been shown to improve bone density, while lack of estrogen is a main contributing factor to the development of osteoporosis in women. Estrogen therapy may reduce the risk of developing this condition, as well as breaks or fractures.
5. Sexual Health
Lack of optimal estrogen and/or progesterone may result in vaginal dryness and discomfort. This may make penetrative intercourse (sex) painful. HRT can help to restore your own body’s natural lubricating process, making sex enjoyable again.
Similarly, a lack of these hormones can reduce or eliminate any libido you once had. Restoration of hormonal balance may help boost your libido back to pre-menopausal levels.
6. Cardiovascular Health
Estrogen has been shown in a multitude of studies to be cardioprotective, keeping heart disease at bay. If you have a family history of heart disease, continuing to leverage the protective effects of estrogen even after menopause may be advantageous.
7. Mood
Much of the emotion we experience is dictated and influenced by hormonal fluctuations. When our hormones are out of whack, our emotions can run rampant. This may leave you with bouts of anxiety, depression, feeling overwhelmed, and more.
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You?
Connect with Spartan Medical Associates today and get the help you need. Our caring and compassionate team will help you find out if HRT is right for you.
Don’t suffer in silence. Help is just an appointment away.
