After Hormone Hysterectomy Replacement Therapy

After hormone hysterectomy replacement therapy

Many women may consider using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to alleviate some of the sexual problems and menopausal symptoms which may be present after a hysterectomy. For years HRT was part of the vast majority of after hysterectomy regimens; today though a substantial number of women are casting a more skeptical eye toward hormone replacement therapy. In fact, a large number of women are skipping HRT altogether after their hysterectomies and are opting for more natural approaches to relieving any surgery induced maladies.

Hormone replacement therapy is the use of estrogen and progestin together or separately to combat the ills which may present themselves after a hysterectomy or as a part of the natural onset of menopause. Estrogen is a female hormone. Progestin is a synthetically produced from of the female hormone progesterone.
Hormone replacement therapy may be prescribed in pill form or as a skin patch or as a cream.

The almost universal use of HRT after hysterectomy has tapered off considerably in the last decade. A host of studies in the mid nineties are largely the impetus for the decline in routine HRT use. In these studies the risks of taking hormone replacement therapy were found many times to be greater than the benefits received from HRT; however, the findings continue to be controversial. In fact, many of the study groups were halted prior to their completion out of concern for the health of the women taking part in them.

Women contemplating undergoing hormone replacement therapy are advised to weigh the risks against the benefits. The two benefits which are widely agreed upon are a decrease in bone fractures related to osteoporosis and alleviation of menopause related depression. Lowering of “bad” cholesterol counts is another lesser considered result from taking HRT. There is a school of thought which believes that even these three advantages of hormone replacement therapy can be better achieved through alternate treatments. Another relatively new and significant finding reports that hormone replacement therapy may be responsible for a large drop in colon cancer amongst women users. Clinical studies may further valid the initial good news in this area. HRT seems to be most effective in reducing the lesser indications which may crop up after a hysterectomy: Hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats, vaginal dryness, lower sexual drive and/or sexual response.

Possible health risks related to hormone replacement therapy are myriad. Cancer of the breast and of the ovary appears to jump considerably in women using HRT. A pronounced increase in strokes, heart attacks and blood clots is also evident. While these problems were noticed to some degree in women on an estrogen/progestin regimen, the risks were even more pronounced in women who were using estrogen only medications.

Still, women should remember that the increased vulnerability to illness precipitated by HRT may be statistically slight and is subject to further study. When deciding whether or not to engage in hormone replacement therapy a woman should talk extensively with her doctor about the implications for her specific situation. There are women for whom vitamins, herbs and other natural remedies may be sufficient. All women will notice that exercise and proper diet will aid in alleviating after hysterectomy symptoms of menopause. There are some cases though where in concert with her medical team a woman may decide to opt for the protections that hormone replacement therapy can provide.