Menopause is a natural phase that the female body enters after the reproductive period. There’s no rule of thumb when it actually starts, but that happens and lasts individually for each woman. This life stage brings many changes for which the human body is ready, but each individual will react differently.
One of the changes with a massive impact on the female organism is hormonal imbalance. Menopause affects the secretion of hormones from the ovaries. Moreover, that causes many climacteric changes, such as hot flashes, and mood swings, but also more severe problems, such as osteoporosis and arthritis. Also, the risk of cancer and heart disease is higher in menopause, and your libido can suffer, too.
In order to go through menopause with as few consequences as possible, you need to implement certain changes in the current way of life. A balanced diet, physical activity, as well as additional intake of certain nutrients, are good ways to do this. You can find out more about it at this link.
If, despite all the above steps, you still experience tiresome symptoms of menopause, and they affect your health, hormone replacement therapy is an additional and often crucial way to alleviate these problems. It’s generally supposed to replace estrogen alone or in combination with progestogens.
Easing Menopause Symptoms
Some women are blessed because, apart from the cycle absence, they have no other menopause symptoms. Even though they enter this phase earlier, in their forties, some ladies simply go through it without difficulties.
And then, there are ladies who ‘hit the jackpot’ when they entered menopause. They may experience the onset of symptoms, from hot flashes and mood swings to more serious ones, such as bone density drop and loss of sexual drive. Only they know what kind of discomfort they face daily, but enduring it is certainly not a solution.
For ladies who have had no luck with menopause, HRT is the right solution. This therapy controls estrogen levels, whose decline in the 40s and 50s is responsible for the mentioned unpleasant symptoms. Besides, it can regulate problems down there, considering that many women face vaginal dryness and frequent itching once their reproductive period stops.
Get Your Sex Drive Back
Loss of sexual desire comes with aging, but the drastic drop in libido that some women face in menopause is uncommon. The changes in the vaginal flora trigger libido issues since the decline in estrogen levels is the direct culprit. Due to the dryness and vaginal muscles atrophy, sex can become painful for ladies, so they don’t want it at all.
Low sex drive isn’t always the reason for hormonal replacement therapy, but if you know that the cause is vaginal dryness, itching, and burning, you need something to improve the lubrication of your lady parts. As soon as you start feeling first menopause signs and discomfort down there, you should consult your doctor and gynecologist about HRT.
This treatment restores hormones that your body no longer produces, in this case, estrogen. If the main therapy goal is improving your libido, experts will suggest adding progesterone and some testosterone from plants to this therapy. These hormones are most similar to those your body produces. They’re a way better solution than artificial hormones, which are much more difficult for the body to synthesize.
When your body reaches hormonal balance again, you will notice that your mood improves, which eventually affects your libido. Also, the boost of estrogen has a beneficial effect on the clitoris and the skin around the vagina. If you opt for hormone replacement therapy, your doctor will apply special inserts vaginally. They release a dose of hormone that lubricates and softens this area and prevents muscle atrophy.
Keep Weight Issues under Control
During menopause, most women gain weight or have trouble keeping it normal, even if they eat right and are physically active. At a younger age, most women deposit fat on hips and tights. Due to the estrogen drop in menopause, these deposits move to the stomach area. And it’s getting harder to lose those pounds over the years.
The reason for this involuntary weight gain should be found in hormones. Since the ovaries secrete less estrogen in menopause, your body starts looking for new sources of this hormone. These are fat cells, so your body makes extra efforts to turn calories from food into fat and thus get a new dose of estrogen.
That’s where HRT comes to the rescue. This treatment provides the body with enough estrogen to prevent unwanted fat deposits. Even if you’ve gained a few pounds, regular hormone replacement therapy will help you lose them more easily. Still, remember that HRT isn’t a magic weight loss potion, and it certainly won’t provide the best results if you don’t make some changes during and after menopause.
Hormones can be the ones to blame for weight issues during menopause, and getting them into balance might be a solution for most problems in this phase. But implementing healthy habits is also a must. Proper nutrition and regular physical activity prevent not only weight gain but also problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
Prevent Bone Mass Loss
Bone issues due to bone mass loss are one of the hidden symptoms of menopause that occurs in almost 10% of women. When bone density gradually decreases, they become fragile and break easily, even with the slightest trauma. Unfortunately, this disease is hard to diagnose as it has no symptoms and doesn’t hurt.
Luckily, doctors can assume a high osteoporosis risk by looking into someone’s genetics and lifestyle. In that case, they can suggest preventive HRT to stop bone mass loss. Even if this disease is detected early, hormonal therapy can prevent fractures and speed up wound healing.
On the following source, read more about bone loss prevention:
https://www.healthywomen.org/condition/7-ways-to-prevent-bone-loss
Hormone replacement therapy brings many benefits mainly related to menopause symptom relief. In order for ladies to enjoy maximum HRT results, it should be adapted to each patient, carried out under medical supervision, and with regular check-ups.
Also Read: Testosterone and Aging: How Hormone Levels Change over Time and What It Means for Your Health
