Home > Menopause > Menopause symptom relief and treatments MHT research A major study called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) has explored the benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy. It has looked at many issues relating to MHT, including whether the health effects are different depending on when a woman starts MHT. Learn more about research results from WHI and other studies. Some women can use menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to help control the symptoms of menopause. MHT, which used to be called hormone replacement therapy (HRT), involves taking the hormones estrogen and progesterone. (Women who don't have a uterus anymore take just estrogen.) MHT can be very good at helping with moderate to severe symptoms of the menopausal transition and preventing bone loss. But MHT also has some risks, especially if used for a long time. MHT can help with menopause by: For some women, MHT may increase their chances of: Research into the risks and benefits of MHT continues. For example, a recent study suggests that the low-dose patch form of MHT may not have the possible risk of stroke that other forms can have. Talk with your doctor about the positives and negatives of MHT based … Continue reading →

What is it? Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment for women who have low hormone levels, like a woman going through menopause. HRT is also called estrogen (es-tro-jin) replacement therapy or ERT. With HRT a woman takes estrogen, and often progestin (pro-jes-tin), to help the symptoms caused by low hormone levels in her body. What are hormones and how do they work? What are the reasons I may not have enough estrogen? What are the signs and symptoms of a low estrogen level? You can have physical and emotional changes when your estrogen level is low. Will HRT help these symptoms? You may choose to take HRT to help or prevent the symptoms of low estrogen. Hot flashes and night sweats will occur less often and may possibly go away if you take estrogen. Estrogen helps prevent vaginal dryness and thinning of the tissue inside the vagina. Your chances of breaking a bone are much lower if you take estrogen. HRT may also improve your mood and memory. HRT may reduce your risk of heart disease. Is HRT safe? Are there side effects with HRT? Following are possible side effects of HRT. How long do I need to take … Continue reading →

What is hormone replacement therapy? Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) usually refers to the replacement of sex hormones in menopausal women. Women use HRT to help control the symptoms of menopause. Menopause is the stage in a womans life when sex hormone levels fall and her menstrual period stops. Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, vaginal dryness, mood swings, anxiety, decreased sexual desire, fatigue, and headaches. Menopause can also cause thinning bones (osteoporosis). The two main sex hormones that a womans body makes are estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone is primarily produced by the ovaries and, in pregnant women, the placenta. The ovaries also produce estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for the female sexual characteristics. It is also important for many body processes, such as maintaining a healthy heart and bones. A woman who has had her uterus removed by hysterectomy may receive estrogen alone for HRT. A woman who still has her uterus must receive progesterone in addition to estrogen for HRT. Progesterone signals the uterus to shed its lining similar to a menstrual period. This decreases the risk of uterine cancer. HRT is only one method of controlling the symptoms of menopause. HRT involves some health risks. … Continue reading →

Offering a diversity of treatments and services, WellMedica is dedicated to providing you with the latest technologies available today. Dr. Dima Ali, President and founder of WellMedica, combines artistry with medicine and a deep commitment to your satisfaction. She concentrates exclusively on nonsurgical procedures to enhance, shape and improve the face and body. Dr. Ali believes that looking good should be pleasurable and affordable. We invite you to discover the many opportunities available to you. More Our Patients Have Said The Following : Dr. Dima is absolutely amazing at what she does! She took the time to find out my needs and tailored a treatment that was right for me and I am thrilled with the results! Her office staff is friendly, professional and always welcoming. I would recommend Dr. Dima to anyone looking to have their inner beauty match the way they look on the outside! Most Popular Procedures: Full Body Skin Exams, Levulan, Photodynamic therapy (PDT), Rosacea Treatment, Skin Cancer Surgery See the article here: Find a Bioidentical hormone therapy Doctor in Ashburn ... … Continue reading →

When you enter the early stages of menopause, the question of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) arises. The two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone (often in its synthetic version, the progestins), are certainly the most widely prescribed therapies utilized by physicians for the relief of menopausal symptoms and the prevention of certain hormone-related conditions of aging. Medical research during the past 50 years has created many different types and dosage regimens of hormones. Such therapies vary in terms of absorption, frequency of usage and dosage. Many women are confused or uninformed about their choices of hormonal therapy. They don't know what to ask at medical visits to determine which hormonal regimens, if any, would suit them best. As a result, the best treatment combination for each individual woman may not be possible. Each woman should explore options and fine tune an individual approach until the best regimen is determined. This book will give you basic information about hormonal replacement therapy that can help you, with your physician, to make an intelligent and informed decision about using HRT. First, the history of hormonal replacement therapy in this country will be discussed; then, the steps to follow before beginning HRT. Detailed information is … Continue reading →

What are estrogen therapy and hormone therapy (HT)? Estrogen, in pill, patch, or gel form, is the single most effective therapy for suppressing hot flashes. The term estrogen therapy, or ET, refers to estrogen administered alone. Because ET alone can cause uterine cancer (endometrial cancer) (see below), a progestin is administered together with estrogen in women who have a uterus (those who have not undergone a hysterectomy) to eliminate the increased risk. Thus, the term estrogen/progestin therapy, or EPT, refers to a combination of estrogen and progestin therapy, as is given to a woman who still has a uterus. This method of prescribing hormones is also known as combination hormone therapy. The term hormone therapy (HT) is a more general term that is used to refer to either administration of estrogen alone (women who have had a hysterectomy), or combined estrogen/progestin therapy (women with a uterus). All forms of hormone therapy (HT) that are FDA-approved for therapy of hot flashes are similarly effective in suppressing hot flashes. Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 2/20/2015 Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stppler's educational … Continue reading →

For many years, doctors routinely prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the treatment of menopause and menopausal symptoms, as well as to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Then in 2002, the results of a large, government-funded study called the Women's Health Initiative raised serious questions about HRT's benefits and risks, causing up to two-thirds of women who were on it to stop using it. So what is HRT, is it an appropriate menopause treatment, and if so, when, and for whom? Read on to find out answers to common questions about this popular but controversial menopausal symptom treatment and whether it might be right for you. What is hormone replacement therapy? HRT is a treatment used to augment the body's natural hormone levels, either in the form of estrogen-alone therapy (ET), for women who have had a hysterectomy (or surgical menopause) or as estrogen with progesterone therapy (EPT), for women who experience menopause naturally at midlife. Why replace hormones? In addition to thickening the lining of the uterus to prepare it for egg implantation, estrogen in tandem with progesterone serves many functions. It helps the body to process calcium (important for the strengthening of bone), aids in … Continue reading →

Overview of Hormone Replacement Therapy Hormone therapy is a treatment for women going through menopause. The hormones estrogen and progesterone help regulate a womans menstrual cycle. They also play an important role in bone health and support other functions in a womans body. As a woman goes through menopause, her levels of estrogen and progesterone drop. This can cause hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help ease these symptoms. The therapy uses estrogen by itself or with progestin, the synthetic version of progesterone. HRT can also be used to treat conditions that disrupt normal production of estrogen and progesterone, such as premature ovary failure. This therapy is effective for some women. However, for others, the risks may outweigh the benefits. Hormone replacement therapy is also known as estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). A different type of hormone therapy exists for men who have breast cancer. The National Institute of Health (NIH) under the Womens Health Initiative conducted a major trial that tested continuous estrogen-plus-progestin HRT for post-menopausal women. The study found that the estrogen-plus-progestin supplements resulted in (NIH, 2004): Researchers found that this therapy put post-menopausal women at risk for severe health problems. They stopped … Continue reading →

As a woman approaching mid-life, your body is undergoing changes. The hormones that once existed in such vast amounts begin to dwindle as you pass childbearing years, and theyll continue to dwindle throughout the rest of your life. These changes can have uncomfortable side effects, including hot flashes, mood swings, and even depression. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can make a big difference in counteracting these symptoms, replacing the diminished hormones in a natural way. However, HRT is not without risks. You should carefully consider these risks before deciding if HRT is the best treatment for your symptoms. In your childbearing years, your ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone. This regulates your reproductive cycle and promotes the bodys use of calcium. The ovaries produce these hormones in decreasing amounts as you age, often resulting in bone loss, diminished sex drive and energy, mood swings, and other symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy seeks to return those hormones to the body in order to lessen symptoms. Through successful hormone replacement therapy, youre able to live a more productive and comfortable life, well into your later years. While some risks are associated with HRT, some health benefits have been discovered as well. HRT has been linked … Continue reading →

What is hormone replacement therapy? Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a type of treatment where the body is given hormones to prevent or treat certain medical conditions (such as treating symptoms of menopause in women and preventing osteoporosis). The hormones used in HRT are synthetic hormones, which means they are created in a laboratory (rather than by the body), but they act like natural hormones once inside the body. In the past, doctors routinely prescribed HRT because they hoped it could help guard against certain diseases as well as treat the symptoms of menopause. The diseases doctors hoped HRT could help prevent included osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer. Information from studies on HRT suggests that for most women, the risks of using HRT outweigh the benefits. For a few women, benefits may outweigh the risks. This is why it is important to talk to your doctor about HRT. The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was a set of studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Through these studies, researchers gathered information about the health of women who have gone through menopause. In the HRT trial, researchers were studying the … Continue reading →