Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy
Many women are opting out of Hormone replacement therapy because of the risks involved. As a result, there are a lot of women out there wondering what their options are for dealing with the sometimes-painful symptoms of menopause.
Because of the apparent lack of options, many women are enduring the long-term risks associated with HRT in order to receive the short-term benefits and relief that it provides while suffering the joys of menopause. Other women decide not to take anything at all and seek natural or alternative treatments for their symptoms. Some of us, are somewhere in the middle. We fear the negative impact that HRT can have on our overall health but seriously wish to avoid sleeping in the freezer for the next year or so.
If you are still in the planning stages and are absolutely unsure of how you want to go about treating your symptoms the best thing you can do for yourself by far is educate yourself. Read current medical findings, studies, researches, and recommendations, discuss the issue with your doctor and get his or her advice and opinion, and find out the risks that are actually involved. Having a clear image of the particular risks to your can be the best gift you give yourself when deciding whether or not this type of treatment is best for you. You might also want to devote some of that time into researching alternative treatments for those who opt out of HRT and deciding whether or not you think those are effective alternatives.
Healthy living is one of the best ways in which to cope with the symptoms of menopause. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, poor nutrition, and remain active. All of these things, when combined can be powerful tools in fighting the symptoms of menopause. You must make sure you address the increased risk that menopause presents for heart disease and osteoporosis in addition to your healthier lifestyle. Discuss nutritional supplements that might help with your doctor.
Calcium and Vitamin D supplements have been determined to be powerful weapons in the fight against osteoporosis; they have even been credited for countering existing bone loss that is the result of lowered levels of estrogen and progesterone. There are also prescription medications available such as Fosamax, Evista, and Actonel that help reduce the risks of bone loss as well as other illnesses. There are new treatments currently being developed and studied for their effectiveness in treating and preventing bone loss.
Additionally, many women are opting to try natural alternatives or plant derivatives in order to fight the symptoms of menopause. Popular products for this purpose are soy products, seeds, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, herbs (such as black cohosh), and vitamins E and B complexes.
While the jury is still out on these products and the actual verses perceived benefits, particularly when compared to HRT, many women prefer this as a natural solution rather than a chemical solution. Sufferers of all ages are choosing this type of treatment. Research is constantly being conducted in order to find other effective treatments for the symptoms of menopause and efforts are ongoing, perhaps in time there will be a treatment that doesn’t have the potential to be worse than the symptoms. Some of the more intense and popular studies at the moment are dedicated to the aspect of benefits vs. risks analysis particularly in regards to the increased risk of certain cancers and the exact role that HRT plays in contribution.