Targeted at menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is beneficial for women over 50 and protects them against many diseases. The optimal way to administer hormones is with patches, experts say.
The issue of caring for a woman during menopause is one of the topics discussed during the XXXI Congress of the Polish Gynecological Society, which will last until Saturday in Katowice. About 1,5 thousand people participate in it. doctors from all over Poland and many specialists from abroad.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was recommended and widely used in the 80s due to both the immediate benefits – reducing the bothersome symptoms of menopause, and the long-term effects – reducing the risk of colorectal cancer or osteoporosis. After the publication in 2002 of studies suggesting that HRT increases the risk of thrombosis, coronary artery disease, strokes and breast cancer, it began to be withdrawn. However, later analyzes showed that this therapy has an undeniably beneficial effect on the health of menopausal women, especially in the 50-59 age group.
“The research has resulted in more emphasis now being placed on using a lower dose of estrogen, as well as through the skin rather than by mouth. Then they are less harmful, because they stimulate less unfavorable processes in the liver that can lead to blood clots. So low-dose patches, administered immediately after menopause, certainly do not harm anyone. However, they help when it comes to menopausal symptoms, prevent osteoporosis and probably largely prevent or delay atherosclerotic changes in the vessels, which translates into other organs – the brain, eyes “- told PAP Dr. Ewa Radwańska from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
“There are also studies, but not publicized, that this therapy prevents macular degeneration blindness, or that there are fewer cases of diabetes and easier to control in people who have this estrogenic activity preserved over a longer period of time. So now we are dealing with a more balanced approach – it is not said that estrogen therapy is good for everyone, or that it is not good for anyone because it causes cancer, ”she added.
There is agreement in the gynecological community that hormone replacement therapy should be selected individually, depending on the woman’s age, health condition and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Properly selected, it treats insomnia, irritability, hot flashes, nervousness and mood swings, it also improves memory and the ability to concentrate attention.
However, the question of how long hormone therapy should be continued is an open question. Dr. Radwańska emphasized that half of women taking estrogens experience a marked worsening of well-being after discontinuing them. “Either because of the recurrence of hot flashes, or they have a problem with intercourse, because they have vaginal dryness, and it has been proven that when they stop taking, bones will crumble. So if the woman is fine and there are no risk factors, there is no special reason to stop HRT, especially if she is taking a low dose. If the dose is high, it will decrease slightly with age. You can also stop the therapy for a year and then test for osteoporosis ”- explained Dr. Radwańska. (PAP)
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