Living a full life is what everyone dreams of; and, good health undeniably is one of the factors which enable us to live fully. With age, our body experiences many hormonal changes which interfere with normal body functions and might even lead to diseases. Women facing hormonal imbalance face weight gain, loss of memory, low libido, aging appearance and so on. Hormone Replacement Therapy is an ideal solution for such women for some obvious benefits
Read on to know about the many benefits of HRT:
What is HRT?
HRT is a method to increase the hormone levels of a person which has decreased due to some reason. Women are usually prescribed HRT to combat problems like mood swings, hot flashes, weight gain, night sweats and vaginal dryness, especially after menopause. Hormone Replacement Therapy is given to people in their fifties and forties, though nowadays, hormonal imbalance is seen in women in their thirties too.
Types of HRT
The hormone estrogen is prescribed to women who have undergone hysterectomy whereas a combination of estrogen and progesterone is prescribed to women whose uterus is intact.
Benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy
The benefits of hormone therapy are many. It helps alleviate the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flushes, mood swings, night sweats, and reduced libido, prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of heart disease as well.
- Hot flushes can be extremely uncomfortable and disruptive. A hot flush is a sudden sensation of heat spreading through the body, and seems to come out of nowhere. Hot flushes can be accompanied by sweating, blushing and palpitations. Though the severity varies from woman to woman, in extremely severe cases, HRT is recommended as otherwise normal life is disrupted.
- Hormone therapy is helpful in treating night sweats too. Sweating excessively at night, to the extent of bedclothes being drenched in sweat is a symptom of menopause which can be relieved by HRT.
- Vaginal dryness can have many reasons, such as menopause, breastfeeding, childbirth, some types of contraception, or cancer treatment. Leaving aside cancer patients, other women who suffer from this condition can get relief by taking advantage of Hormone Replacement Therapy. This involves supplementing the body’s hormones with synthetic hormones on prescription in tablet form, skin patch, gel or an implant underneath the skin.
- Osteoporosis, i.e. weakening of the bones is seen with advancing age. HRT is used to keep osteoporosis at bay, especially in menopausal women, as well as women whose family history reflects osteoporosis. Estrogen helps to process calcium in the body, thus strengthening the bones.
- HRT is beneficial for the heart too, as estrogen helps in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol.
- Hormone therapy reduces the risk of endometrial cancer as progesterone (which is added to estrogen in the form of progestin) causes endometrium shedding every month.
- Firmer skin, strong nails, improvement in immune functions, increase of cellular regeneration, eyesight strengthening, shorter recovery times are some added benefits of HRT. Women can also benefit by experiencing improvement of brain functions, mood improvement, thick hair, improvement in bone density, and muscle tone, as well as sleeping better at night. HRT thus helps a woman stay young as the signs of aging are delayed, and they can enjoy a more active life.
How to start HRT?
If you suffer from menopausal symptoms, you should consult your GP who can help you choose from the many different types available. Usually a low dose is started and you can see the effects by three months.
Article Submitted By Community Writer