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Why use HRT to treat menopausal symptoms

Why use HRT is a common question we get asked and the answer is not always straight forward. Menopause is sadly inevitable as we age, due to the natural reduction in the production of female sex hormones such as oestrogen. Most of us are (un)lucky enough to only begin feeling the symptoms of menopause as we head into our late 40’s and 50’s but early onset menopause can affect women in their 30’s, often caused by damage to the ovaries, through surgery such as a hysterectomy or underlying medical conditions. Menopausal symptoms can be quite debilitating, ranging from hot flashes, disrupted sleep, mood swings, loss of sex drive and memory lapses, all just adding to the daily stresses we face.

And so, we search for a way to relieve the symptoms of menopause and allow us to live as normal a life as possible. One such treatment that has seen fantastic results for thousands of women across the globe is HRT, also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Request a call back from our expert gynaecology team to discuss our HRT and menopause treatments.

What is HRT?

Hormone Replacement Therapy is the treatment for a number of conditions, but most commonly and effectively, menopause. It works by replacing hormones that the body has reduced production of or no longer produces, due to natural or medical reasons. HRT generally comes in three forms, oestrogen-only therapy (ET) and oestrogen plus progestogen therapy (EPT), both of these use artificially engineered hormones to augment the body’s natural hormones. The third form of HRT is which is becoming more wildly used is, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), which uses natural, chemically identical hormones to that produced by the body to reduce symptoms of menopause.

Why use HRT TO Treat menopause?

The question you may be considering is why use HRT to treat menopause symptoms? During the onset of menopause be it natural or surgical-induced, levels of oestrogen fall dramatically, causing menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, low sex drive, disturbed sleep and memory lapses. HRT or hormone replacement therapy has shown through numerous studies, to be one of the most effective treatments for menopause, offering a wide variety of benefits from reducing and combatting menopausal symptoms to protecting against other medical conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease.

Many women have said that after having HRT, that they are delighted to have been given their lives back!

How does IT work?

All three basic forms of hormone replacement therapy work in the same way to replace the hormones no longer produced by the body, and easing the symptoms of menopause.

ET or oestrogen-only therapy replaces oestrogen which is the main hormone that helps combat symptoms of menopause and is used as a treatment plan for those who have surgically onset menopause caused by a hysterectomy.

EPT or oestrogen plus progestogen therapy is used for those women suffering from menopausal symptoms caused by the natural ageing process, as the ovaries which produce both hormones significantly decreases its production. EPT is used for those who experience menopause naturally as oestrogen alone can increase the risk of uterine cancer for those women with a uterus.

BHRT or Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, provides the same treatment as both ET and EPT but as mentioned earlier utilises natural, chemically identical hormones to that produced by the body.

Here at Gyneaesthetics London our expert gynaecologist Mr Mohammad Masood is always on hand to delicately discuss your concerns or answer any questions you may have about your health and the services we provide, including Hormone Replacement Therapy for the treatment of menopause.

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