Often, menopause in women can lead to several conditions like bone loss or falling levels of hormones and hrt or Hormone Replacement Therapy is a treatment that helps restore the declining progesterone and estrogen levels.
Hormone levels naturally decline as a person ages, especially women. However, a few medical conditions may lead to deficient levels of these sex hormones. In such cases, women may be required to undergo HRT treatment.
This article will elaborately explain the signs of when you need hormone therapy replacement.
A brief definition of hormone replacement therapy?
This treatment is ideal for women to restore their declining sex hormones – estrogen and progesterone. Additionally, the treatment relieves symptoms of menopause and other conditions like a bone loss that are generally caused by these declining levels.
Many doctors recommend the treatment to prevent diseases that can be caused due to the loss of hormones.
Some conditions that can usually cause low hormone levels are mentioned below.
- Perimenopause
Women who experience menopause before they are 45 may not produce enough estrogen to protect the body. In such cases, hormone replacement therapy can be essentially needed to prevent the disease.
- Menopause
Menopause is a natural occurrence as women age. It is when a woman has been period-free for a year without being sick, pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking some medications.
There are several hormone fluctuations and the shrinking of the ovaries in the years leading to menopause. This can lead to a few symptoms like vaginal discomfort and hot flushes.
- Removal of ovaries
Many women undergo surgical removal of ovaries before the age of 45. As a result, they may experience inadequate production of estrogen that helps against heart diseases, stroke, osteoporosis, dementia, mood changes, or some types of cancer.
Under these circumstances, a doctor may ask a woman to undergo this treatment to prevent these diseases.
- Different hormone conditions
This treatment can also help treat other medical conditions like infertility, endometrial hyperplasia, breast cancer, etc. Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition with overgrowth of the lining of the uterus. This can cause multiple complications in women.
When should you consult a doctor?
Menopause is a natural ageing process that occurs in every woman. Most of the symptoms of this condition usually pass on their own. Some may find these mildly uncomfortable, while others may face severe discomfort.
Ideally, you should consult a doctor when you start experiencing these symptoms or when they get unbearable. Working with your doctor on this will help you better understand how to proceed with the condition.
Additionally, suppose you have symptoms related to several other conditions like perimenopause in your 40s, abnormal or irregular periods or bleeding, chronic period problems, or infertility IQ. In that case, you must consult your gynaecologist to work on these issues.
What is the diagnosis and test process?
For people over 45 years of age, doctors may not ideally test for signs and symptoms of menopause. If the symptoms occur, doctors may examine the patient, work out lifestyle factors to improve the symptoms, and take a personal and medical history check.
For those under the age of 45, doctors may perform blood tests to examine and determine their hormone levels. They may also go for ultrasounds and physical examinations to determine the cause.
Final Thoughts
Hormone Replacement Therapy or hrt has become a common medical treatment for women worldwide. The treatment can positively affect women who are significantly suffering from declining hormone levels.
It is advisable to consult your gynaecologist once you experience symptoms causing any significant discomfort.
