Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy

During the reproductive life of a woman estrogen level is significantly high. Estrogen helps for the development of female secondary sexual characters like breast development, thickening of endometrium and regulating menstrual cycle.
Estrogen is also helpful for bone growth; it increases HDL (good lipid) and decreases LDL (bad lipid) and fat, etc.
When a woman reaches her menopause, the levels of hormone starts decreasing that causes some bothersome effects. However, not all women are affected by this decreased level of hormones. Menopause is a time when menstrual cycle (her period) stops.
Usually menopause occurs between the ages of 45 to 55 years. There are some effect of menopause like hot flushes, palpitation, psychological effects like depression, anxiety, irritability, mood change, memory problem and lack of concentration, insomnia. Some atrophic changes like dryness of vagina and urinary urgency etc; increase chances of osteoporosis, joint pain and muscle pain.
Some sexual effects like dry vagina, dyspareunia (painful intercourse), decreased libido that is decreased sexual desire.
To treat these all symptoms and signs, hormone replacement therapy or hormonal treatment is used. However, before starting hormonal therapy, it is advised to do medical check up of general blood analysis, lipid profile, blood glucose, calcium, phosphate, liver function test, mammogram should be done.
Though HRT is used to treat symptoms of menopause, this therapy itself has some side effects. They are of following:
Breast cancer
Heart diseases
Stroke
Other psychiatrical diseases
These side effects are rare but it is advised to start HRT with low dose for long time and long effect. While going through HRT, do regular check up.
There are some direct contraindications that are following:
Severe liver diseases
Coronary heart diseases
Venous thrombosis
Endometrial cancer
Migraine
History of uterine fibroid
History of breast cancer (personal or maternal family)
Active gall bladder diseases
Though there are different type of HRT, regular follow up is mandatory due to risk of side effects mentioned above.

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