The Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment that uses oestrogen with the intent of relieving the individual of menopausal symptoms. According to research, while not being entirely free of side effects, HRT is, at the moment, the most effective solution when it comes to the relief of menopausal symptoms and the prevention of osteoporosis. HRT began being implemented in the 40s but was mostly used in the 70s (Francis, 2013) . At the time, the symptoms they were supposed to change in menopausal women include night sweats, hot flushes, sleep disturbances genito-urinary problems that are psychological and vaginal dryness and urinary frequency.
One of the benefits of using HRT is that it reduces the vasomotor symptoms in women. These include conditions such as night sweats, sleep disturbances and hot flushes which make it tough for an individual to live a normal life. However, the use of the HRT could show maximum result after three months of continued therapy although positive impact is visible after 3 weeks or so (Lobo, 2017) . By reducing these vasomotor symptoms, in essence they improve the quality of life of the symptomatic women. The use of HRT can also improve the moods of the individual using it.
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Use of HRT not only improves the individual’s mood but also their depressive symptoms if they have any. Low mood comes with menopause and although HRT is the best bet of alleviating these, cognitive behavioral therapy could prove positively impactful too. The reduction of urogenital symptoms is another benefit of using HRT (Lobo, 2017) . Urogenital symptoms include the reduced fulness of the vulva and the vagina, dryness and itching of the vagina, pain and bleeding during sexual intercourse and increased urinary tract infections thanks to the vagina improving in its acidity.
The last benefit is that it reduces the risk of osteoporosis. It is through the use of oestrogen that bone mineral density will be increased and this will eventually prevent the osteoporotic features in women (Francis, 2013) . The amount of protection from fractures that the individual will be experiencing depends on the levels of the HRT doses given although even low doses have a high responsive rate to bone mass. As such, women that use HRT in the long run are able to significantly reduce the incidences of fractures in long-term use.
Risks of Using HRT
The main risks of HRT treatment include the thromboembolic disease (VTE) and pulmonary embolism, breast and endometrial cancer and gallbladder disease amongst others. Although these are potentially deadly risks, research has shown that they have a favorable risk ratio when compared to their benefits (Lobo, 2017) . The VTE is only a risk depending on the dose and delivery system in use. Using oral HRT increases the chances of suffering from VTE three-fold. These chances increase with issues such as weight, age and issues such as smoking and drinking.
Ischemic stroke is also a risk that is associated with the oral ingestion of oestrogen. The issues that cause stroke are dose-related and thus the patient should get the lowest dose if she is at the highest risk of suffering from them.
Why Using HRT is a Good Option
When it comes to relieving the women of their hormonal symptoms that make life hard for women, the use of HRT is a good way to go. Although it is artificial and it alters the naturally-functioning system of the body, it is the most effective when it comes to alleviating these symptoms in the lives of menopausal women (Francis, 2013) . Their quality of life is significantly impacted by the vasomotor symptoms which could even make normal interactions tough. As such, for the sake of these symptoms and many other distractive ones that come with the age, it makes sense to use HRT to alleviate them. The physician should also be keen to ensure that the individual does not unnecessarily risk VTE and Stroke amongst others. This, the individual could do by controlling the doses he is giving the patient.
References
Francis, R. (2013). Osteoporosis: Pathogenesis and Management. London: Springer Science & Business Media.
Lobo, R. A. (2017). Hormone-replacement therapy: current thinking. Nature Reviews Endocrinology , 220.
