Nearly 6,000 women begin menopause every day in the U.S., but many of them lack access to reliable information about what to expect. As a result, there are many myths surrounding menopause, including the idea that hormone replacement therapy is harmful. While HRT certainly isn’t the right solution for everybody, it’s a valuable option. Learn more about HRT, plant based menopause supplements, and everything else you need to know about common menopause treatment options.
What Does Hormone Therapy Do To Your Body?
The phrase “hormone replacement therapy” refers to a wide range of medical practices that serve a variety of different purposes. In the context of menopause, though, it typically refers to the practice of assessing a patient’s hormone levels, identifying any imbalances, and performing treatment to rectify the imbalances. It’s a popular treatment option for menopause because of its safety and efficacy.
Treatment can take many forms, but in most cases, it involves supplementing your estrogen levels with a synthetic form of the hormone. This supplement can be delivered in a variety of different ways, including injections, insertion of a pellet under the skin, or even through oral medication. All of these methods can help alleviate symptoms such as irritability and mood swings during menopause. Treatments are FDA-approved and often covered by insurance.
What exactly does HRT do to your body, though? In short, HRT restores the natural balance of your hormones that can be disrupted by menopause. When a women enters menopause, hormones such as estrogen and progesterone will natural fluctuate, and this fluctuation can cause an array of symptoms that are uncomfortable at best. When you take an HRT supplement, hormone levels in your body stabilize, thus mitigating the adverse effects of menopause.
What Symptoms Can It Help With?
There are many different symptoms that hormone replacement therapy can help with. When menopause happens, most women experience a natural decrease in their estrogen levels, and this can contribute to lower levels of bone density and a greater risk for osteoporosis. Investing in HRT often offsets this risk and enables women to retain muscle mass, too. Muscles tend to atrophy gradually after a woman begins menopause.
Many women also find that menopause triggers an uncharacteristic susceptibility to mood swings. This is because hormones such as estrogen and progesterone play a vital role in regulating a person’s mood, so when hormone levels fluctuate, the ability to control emotions does, too. Estrogen interacts with serotonin receptors in your brain, which in turn, determine your mood. A plant-based menopause mood relief supplement can also help address this issue by regulating estrogen levels in a way that’s similar to HRT.
Other symptoms that HRT may address include weight gain, hot flashes, insomnia, and vaginal dryness. These symptoms often reduce sufferers’ quality of life dramatically, so seeking a solution is essential. Whether you are looking for an over-the-counter supplement that offers accessible relief or a more intensive intervention such as HRT, there is help available to combat these and other experiences associated with menopause.
