Women usually begin experiencing menopausal symptoms as they enter their forties. One of these symptoms are hot flashes, which consists of an intense, sudden feeling of heat in a woman’s upper body and face. This can be accompanied by nausea, a headache, rapid heartbeat, and sweating. Having a hot flash while out and about can bring a great deal of discomfort, while also causing one to wake up in the middle of the night. To counter this symptom as well as others, some women will visit their doctors to learn about possibly taking menopause hormone therapy consisting of estrogen only, or sometimes estrogen with progestin.

Changing Bodies

The change in menopause hormone levels, caused by changes that women go throughout the course of their lives, are what result in hot flashes and other problems. Menopause hormone therapy can help women better handle the changes while also helping reduce the possibility of cancer and brittle bones as time goes on.

Hot flashes will not be experienced nearly as often during the day and night when on menopause hormone therapy. Whether or not a woman still has her uterus or has had a hysterectomy will determine the therapy type that she will undergo. For instance, a woman will get estrogen therapy only if she no longer has a uterus. Otherwise, she will need to undergo estrogen and progestin therapy.

Also, brittle bones and vaginal dryness are among other symptoms will be helped by therapy. The amount of cholesterol in the body can also be reduced from menopause hormone therapy, as well as decreasing the chances of colon cancer. However, as much good as menopause hormone therapy does, there are some negative side effects that can occur such as cramping and sore breasts. Also, higher triglyceride levels in the blood and bloating are side effects that could pop up in certain cases.

Other side effects are far more grave than the ones just outlined. Other risks when taking menopause hormone therapy include heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. Dementia becomes a risk for women who are are older than 65 years old.