Hormone Replacement for Women

During menopause, a women’s ovaries decrease production of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. This decline in hormones puts a permanent end to menstruation and fertility, but it can also cause hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and urinary problems. For decades, doctors routinely eased these symptoms with hormone replacement therapy — medications containing female hormones to replace the ones the body is no longer making. And it was widely believed that boosting estrogen levels after menopause could also ward off heart disease and osteoporosis, while improving quality of life and keeping women young.
Today, there's plenty of confusion about hormone replacement therapy, which is now commonly called hormone therapy. The truth is that hormone therapy is not the magical cure for aging that it was once believed to be, but it's still the most effective treatment for unpleasant menopausal symptoms for most women.

Benefits of hormone therapy?

Estrogen remains the most effective treatment for relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. It can also ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse.
Long-term hormone therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal conditions is no longer routinely recommended. But women who take estrogen for short-term relief of menopausal symptoms may gain some protection against the following conditions:

• Osteoporosis. Studies show that hormone therapy can prevent the bone loss that occurs after menopause, which decreases the risk of osteoporosis-related hip fractures.
• Colorectal cancer. Studies show that hormone therapy can decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.
• Heart disease. Some data suggest that estrogen can decrease risk of heart disease when taken early in your postmenopausal years.

For women who undergo menopause naturally, estrogen is typically prescribed as part of a combination therapy of estrogen and progestin. This is because estrogen without progestin can increase the risk of uterine cancer. Women who undergo menopause as the result of a hysterectomy can take estrogen alone.

Common Formulations:
Estrogen
Estradiol
Estrone
Biest
Triest
Pregnenolone
Progesterone
Testosterone