Should i take estrogen after menopause

Many medical organizations and societies agree in recommending against the use of custom-compounded hormone therapy for menopause management, particularly given concerns regarding content, purity, and safety labeling of compounded hormone therapy formulations. There is a lack of safety data supporting the use of hormone therapy in women who have had breast cancer.

Non-hormonal therapies should be the first approach in managing menopausal symptoms in breast cancer survivors. The Bottom Line: Hormone therapy is an acceptable option for the relatively young up to age 59 or within 10 years of menopause and healthy women who are bothered by moderate to severe menopausal symptoms.

Individualization is key in the decision to use hormone therapy. Consideration should be given to the woman's quality of life priorities as well as her personal risk factors such as age, time since menopause, and her risk of blood clots, heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer. Medical organizations devoted to the care of menopausal women agree that there is no question that hormone therapy has an important role in managing symptoms for healthy women during the menopause transition and in early menopause.

Ongoing research will continue to provide more information as we move forward. Going Mad in Perimenopause? If you love coffee, sugar, salt, cigarettes or alcohol, your risk for bone and heart issues are even higher. Symptoms can be managed in a bunch of ways. But first, you need to visit your doctor to diagnose menopause.

Your symptoms, age, and medical history may be enough to make the diagnosis. If not, your doctor can run a blood test to check your hormone levels. Once you have the official diagnosis, you can work with your doctor to develop a plan to manage your symptoms. Many symptoms can be simply managed by changing things in your daily life. Eat a healthy diet. Exercise regularly. Stop smoking.

Quit or limit your drinking. All those things will boost your overall health while relieving symptoms and lowering your risk for future health problems. So you can supplement a healthy, plant-based diet with these foods to help elevate your hormone levels, many of them you probably eat already:. Observe the triggers of your hot flashes and try to manage them. Common triggers include stress, heat, cigarette smoke, alcohol, caffeine, tight clothing, and spicy foods.

Oestrogen suppresses osteoclastic activity, stimulates osteoblasts, and maintains the essential coupling between bone formation and bone resorption. Women who begin and continue HRT have a much reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures. Because of the fear of adverse events, a number of authorities have recommended that HRT be used for the shortest possible period. Similar studies have confirmed that women who begin HRT at or within a few years of menopause have fewer cardiovascular events or breast cancers, and live longer than similar women who never use HRT.

HRT was introduced in the early s to relieve hot flushes, sweats, insomnia, dry vagina and to improve the quality of life for menopausal women. Over the past 70 years, it has continued to be the most effective therapy to reduce these symptoms. Recent studies also confirm that HRT is still the therapy of choice to maintain health, wellbeing and sexual enjoyment; 61 negative reports of increased adverse events must be balanced against the benefits of starting HRT early and continuing therapy.

In summary, HRT initiated in healthy women during the first 5 years following the menopause is responsible for:. Adverse effects include an increase in thrombosis and stroke when HRT is administered orally to women who have an underlying cardiovascular disease, and HRT makes pre-existing breast cancer grow more rapidly.

The benefits of HRT, if initiated early enough in healthy women, are far greater than the potential adverse effects. WHI Premarin alone Hormone replacement therapy after menopause:.

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Medical education. Volume Issue 6. The benefits of oestrogen following menopause: why hormone replacement therapy should be offered to postmenopausal women.

Med J Aust ; 6 : Topics Women's health. Abstract Recently, two major epidemiological studies found that hormone replacement therapy HRT in postmenopausal women increased the risk of breast cancer. There is substantial objective evidence that the benefits of HRT include: Reduced distressing symptoms of menopause. Reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures, dementia and colorectal cancer.

Increased longevity. HRT promotes growth of pre-existing breast cancer. Oestrogen only 15 In , the WHI research group published another article of considerable significance. The Million Women Study 16 From to , all women due to have a routine mammogram in the UK were invited to enter a study to determine factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer. When does breast cancer begin?

Hormones and osteoporosis Oestrogen suppresses osteoclastic activity, stimulates osteoblasts, and maintains the essential coupling between bone formation and bone resorption. Hormones and longevity Because of the fear of adverse events, a number of authorities have recommended that HRT be used for the shortest possible period. Hormones and quality of life HRT was introduced in the early s to relieve hot flushes, sweats, insomnia, dry vagina and to improve the quality of life for menopausal women.

In summary, HRT initiated in healthy women during the first 5 years following the menopause is responsible for: abating menopausal symptoms; improving quality of life; maintaining the cardiovascular system; reducing osteoporosis-related fractures; reducing the risk of dementia; and increasing longevity.

Oestrogen alone Premarin : reduces the risk of breast cancer increases the risk of thrombosis and stroke has no influence on the risk of myocardial ischaemia reduces the risk of fractures. View this article on Wiley Online Library. Correspondence: barrygwren bigpond. Competing interests:. Wilson RA. Feminine forever. London: WW Allen, Wren BG. Oestrogen replacement therapy: the management of an endocrine deficiency disease.

Med J Aust ; S1-S Estrogen replacement therapy and coronary heart disease: a quantitative assessment of the epidemiological evidence. Prev Med ; Mosca L. The role of hormone replacement therapy in the prevention of postmenopausal heart disease.

Arch Intern Med ; Long term prevention of post menopausal osteoporosis by oestrogen: evidence for an increased bone mass after delayed onset of oestrogen treatment. Lancet ; 1: Postmenopausal bone loss is prevented by treatment with low-dosage estrogen with calcium.

Ann Intern Med ; Lancet ; Estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women: effects on cognitive function and dementia. JAMA ; Fedor-Freyberg P. The influence of oestrogen on the well-being and mental performance in climacteric and post menopausal women.

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand ; Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women.