What is Estrogen Replacement Therapy?
There are many different chemical messengers – also known as hormones- controlling, stimulating, and regulating the myriad of functions in the body. Hormone replacement is necessary when a particular type of chemical is no longer being produced at a level that the body requires for optimum functioning. Estrogen replacement therapy is useful in providing an increase in available estrogen for the body to use.
What is estrogen replacement therapy and how can it benefit a person?
Supplemental estrogen is provided by doctors to help a woman overcome the symptoms associated with menopause. These changes in the body may include:
- Hot flashes
- Memory impairment
- Night sweats
- Weight gain
- Mood swings
- Decreased bone density
- Vaginal dryness
These issues and many others that are associated with menopause can interfere with daily life. That is why doctors have long recommended estrogen hormone replacement therapy as a way of reducing the effects of these symptoms for physical and emotional relief.
Who Needs Estrogen Replacement Therapy?
For many decades, the medical community automatically assumed that menopausal women were in need of estrogen replacement therapy. Doctors frequently prescribed estrogen treatment in some form or another to help women overcome the undesirable symptoms that were mentioned in the previous section.
In numerous cases, blood testing for hormone levels was not even used before estrogen hormone replacement therapy was prescribed. We now know that this is not the best method of treating this type of change.
Women facing their change of life are often dealing with multiple deficiencies. The same ovaries that produce estrogen also produce progesterone and testosterone. Any or all of these vital chemical messengers may be in short supply. Another issue can easily be growth hormone deficiency. That is why hormone replacement therapy specialists require diagnostic blood testing before the prescribing of any medications.
Supplemental progestin or progesterone are other types of hormone replacement therapy estrogen deficient women can benefit from if their uterus is still intact. Only those who have had a hysterectomy can receive estrogen alone.
The risk factors attributed to both combined and estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy are reason enough for many women to shy away from this treatment. Testosterone replacement has become popular for use in menopausal females in the past decade. This treatment does not carry with it the same risks associated with estrogen replacement and is often a more viable alternative for use.
The Best Place to Get Estrogen Replacement Therapy
In the past, women have often turned to their OB/GYN for hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen or a combined estrogen/progestin supplement of some form was the typical medication offered. Today’s woman can now turn to a new breed of doctor – ones who specialize in hormone replacement therapy for aging adults.
This treatment is geared to women and men over the age of thirty who are dealing with fluctuating and declining hormone levels. HRT specialists run blood tests to determine the proper types of treatment to prescribe.
Whether it be estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy, a combined form of estrogen and progestin, progesterone therapy, testosterone replacement, or even human growth hormone injections, only blood analysis can provide a clear answer.
To learn more about HRT for women, or to ask questions of our specialists, please contact Kingsberg Medical today. We offer complimentary consultations, diagnostic testing, and affordable treatment options for women and men across the US.
