Benefits of HRT

HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy is the most effective treatment for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. Besides this, there are a few more important benefits.

 

Menopausal symptoms:

Estrogen helps relieve many menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, aches and pains, vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms, skin collagen loss, dry skin, headaches, and migraines etc. It can help improve the quality of life for many women.

 

Reduced risk of Osteoporosis:

After menopause, women may suffer from loss of bone mass and deterioration of bone microarchitecture. 1 in 5 women above the age of 70 may have osteoporosis. This makes bones brittle and fragile and increases risk of fractures. HRT helps to protect the bones. It helps prevent bone loss after menopause and even increase bone mineral density. Studies have shown that if HRT is used for few years around menopause, then it may still have a protective effect on bones for many years after stopping it.

 

Improved Heart Health:

When HRT is started early, within 10 years of menopause or before the age of 60yrs, it helps reduce the risk of heart disease and furring of arteries of heart (atherosclerosis). Before menopause, there is a significantly lower risk of heart disease in women compared to men. However, this risk starts to increase post menopause due to loss of Estrogen, and by the age of 70, the risk becomes equal to men. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in older women, even above breast cancer, but often people are not aware of it.

 

Reduced risk of Colo-rectal Cancer:

There is some evidence that oral combined HRT may be associated with reduced risk of colon cancer. The exact mechanism behind it is not fully understood.

 

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:

HRT is shown to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. It helps reduce insulin resistance (ability of the body to use insulin optimally), hence improving blood sugar.

Transdermal HRT helps reduce Triglycerides (a type of fat in blood) which is beneficial for the diabetics.

 

Dementia:

In women with premature ovarian insufficiency or early menopause, HRT is associated with reduction in the risk of dementia. It is of paramount importance that women with POI take HRT. In women who undergo menopause at natural age, the evidence is still a bit unclear between HRT and dementia links and more research is needed in this field.