Perimenopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy
Menopause officially starts on the date of the women’s last menstrual cycle. The period before that time known as perimenopause can be a time of swinging emotions, physical problems, and various other symptoms. Perimenopause is caused by the decrease in functioning of the ovaries. Ovulation may be sporadic and stop altogether, the menstrual cycle and the flow may vary as much as ten years before the final menstrual period.
A woman may start having mood swings, changes in sexual desire, and other symptoms that resemble PMS. Everyone will have different ways their body deals with perimenopause; some will have night sweats but have no hot flashes. Moods can change radically from minute to minute, you might have headaches, and you may find you are not able to sleep as you usually do. You may experience a change in sexual desire, vaginal dryness, and pain during intercourse. One of the most disturbing symptoms is difficulty in concentrating. You may feel as if you are losing your mind. Memory often is affected. One woman tells of being in a furniture store, when she wanted to call her husband to come and pick up the table she just bought, she couldn’t remember her own phone number. The salesclerk had to look her number from a previous sales receipt. This lack of memory and concentration is frustrating but common in women experiencing perimenopause.
Lifestyle changes can help relieve some of the symptoms of perimenopause. Adding soy and flax to your diet, exercising regularly, and taking Vitamin E as a supplement, and some herbal treatments are effective in treating symptoms.
Another form of treatment is Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT. This may involve taking a low dosage birth control pill, which will keep hormone levels more even. Antidepressants to help stabilize mood swings, and progesterone to treat the other PMS symptoms are two other medications that may be prescribed.
There has been a controversy about hormone replacement therapy in the news in the last few years. It’s important that a woman discusses clinical studies with her doctor and decides which treatment is right for her. The doctor may decide an estrogen replacement therapy is suitable, or a hormone replacement therapy which uses estrogen and a synthetic progesterone in a combined form. There are some pros and cons to hormone replacement therapy.
Studies ended in 2002 show an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer. It showed a reduced risk of colorectal cancer and fewer bone breaks. The study did not show protection against cognitive damage and a higher risk of dementia in women over 65.
If you decide that hormone replacement therapy is right for you, the Food and Drug Administration advises using the lowest dosage possible for the shortest amount of time. Taking a combined progesterone and estrogen or estrogen alone treatment is no longer recommended for prevention of heart disease.
There are various ways of giving HRT. Estrogen pills, estrogen and progestin pills, skin patches, and estrogen cream can administer doses. Pills can be administered as a continuous method or by taking them in cycles. The cyclic method may cause monthly bleeding; the continuous method causes only irregular bleeding if any at all.
Skin patches are also available. When applied to the abdomen or buttocks it delivers estrogen, estrogen and progestin combinations directly to the bloodstream. Patches are left on for three and one half days up to seven days. A new patch is applied and the old one discarded. The patches may also cause monthly bleeding.
Estrogen cream inserted into the vagina, or spread locally around the vulva will aid with vaginal dryness and urinary problems.
Hormone Replacement Therapy can be customized to give the maximum benefit with the least side effects. It’s important for women to communicate with their doctor if they are having any discomfort or other side effects. HRT treatment can be adjusted to ease the symptoms.
Women who experience perimenopause do have choices for relieving symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. A trip to the doctor will help decide if HRT is the answer for you, or you can try herbal cures, exercise, and other natural remedies. If you find your symptoms are not improving or getting worse, you should seriously look at hormone replacement therapy.
Tags: hormone replacement therapy, womens health issues