The New York Times wrote a blog about rethinking the use of hormones to ease menopause symptoms. The biggest debate over Estrogen Replacement Therapy or ERT is whether the risks outweigh the benefits.
Such risks include breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots. The Women’s Health Initiative was a large randomized study that showed a correlation between post-menopausal women and an increase in heart disease.
Further studies showed risks of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots in women who were postmenopausal.
Bothersome symptoms of menopause including vaginal dryness, hot flashes and osteoporosis were often ignored by medic al providers because they feared the risks of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots
More current research has shown an overwhelming benefit of ERT if used for a short term period of time at the onset of menopause.
The earlier a patient begins ERT the safer and more effective it is. There is a large variety of hormone replacement medications available to women today. The type of ERT a patient gets is dependent on which symptoms a patient has and the severity of her symptoms.
Estrogen Replacement comes in many different forms.
- Pills
- Skin Patches
- Topical creams, gels and sprays
- Vaginal Suppositories, rings and vaginal creams
With the amount of options available to women and the new research indicating the benefits vs the risks of ERT women should not have to suffer.
