Menopause Body » hormone therapy

MHT can help with menopause

megdilts — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:04:53 +0000

MHT can help with menopause by:

Reducing hot flashes
Treating vaginal dryness
Slowing bone loss
Easing mood swings and mild depressive symptoms—MHT alone is not effective in treating depression
Improving sleep

For some women, MHT may increase their chance of getting:

Blood clots
Heart attacks
Strokes
Breast cancer
Gall bladder disease

Who should NOT use MHT for menopause:
Women who . . .

Think they are pregnant
Have problems with vaginal bleeding
Have had certain kinds of cancers (such as breast and uterine cancer)
Have had a stroke or heart attack
Have had blood clots
Have liver disease

MHT can also cause these side effects:

Bleeding
Bloating
Breast tenderness or enlargement
Headaches
Mood changes
Nausea

Source: http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/

What is “bioidentical” hormone therapy?

megdilts — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:53:38 +0000

This term means different things to different people. It’s really manmade hormones that are just the same as the hormones the body makes. There are several products with hormones like this that are on the market and are well-tested. But this term is most often used to mean drugs that are custom-made from a doctor’s order. These custom-made products are also known as bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). Despite product claims, there is no proof that BHRT products are better or safer than MHT drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). BHRT also can be expensive as many insurance and prescription programs do not pay for these drugs because they are viewed as experimental.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.