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.

Check Out Our Brand New e-Book –> Women’s Hysterectomy Stories – The Essential Guide by: Ruth Steeves. Click Here Now for Instant Access!

Hysterectomy Hormone Replacement Therapy

For many years prescribing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after a hysterectomy was almost automatic. Not only were HRT prescriptions widely written, they were accepted almost without question by the patients to whom they were given. However, in the last decade many women and their doctors have begun to question the near universal use of post hysterectomy hormone replacement therapy. As questions continue to arise on both sides of the issue it is important for women who have had or will be having hysterectomies to make sure they are well informed about HRT.

Just exactly what is hormone replacement therapy?

HRT can consist of either an estrogen/progestin combination or the hormones taken individually. Estrogen is a female hormone. Progestin is a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone. Hormone replacement therapy may be administered orally, via a skin patch or as a cream. It is used not only after a hysterectomy but may also be suggested for women who are suffering severe symptoms of natural menopause.

Why was hormone replacement therapy routinely prescribed for women who had undergone hysterectomies?

If a woman has a hysterectomy in which both of ovaries are removed she will immediately be thrown into surgically induced menopause. For some women, this sudden onset of menopause will feature symptoms more severe than those experienced during natural menopause. Women who are left with at least one ovary may not find themselves menopausal until near the normal time when menopause would have occurred. There may, however, be some menopausal symptoms due to diminished blood flow to the ovary or due to ovarian failure at a later date. Women who have only their uteruses or uteruses and cervixes removed will generally not experience any symptoms of menopause post hysterectomy; however they may suffer from vaginal dryness and/or reduced sexual desire and/or reduced sexual response. Since many of these post hysterectomy indications are thought to be alleviated by HRT it became a standard post operative prescription. In addition to addressing hysterectomy induced menopausal maladies there was also some thought that hormone replacement therapy protected women from illnesses such as osteoporosis and heart disease.

Why has hormone replacement therapy come under question?

Over the last fifteen years many have come to believe that the risks related to HRT outweigh the benefits. Diminished vulnerability to osteoporosis is still viewed as the main advantage to hormone replacement therapy although this benefit appears to decrease as a woman ages. HRT may also be valuable in helping women deal with menopausal depression; here again though there are other therapies which may be more effective. While hormone replacement therapy may precipitate a decline in so called “bad” cholesterol, the increased risks of heart attack and stroke which emanate from HRT are greater than the benefit of the reduction in “bad” cholesterol. There is also a marked increase in several cancers particularly breast cancer amongst women who used hormone replacement therapy.

The unexpected medical findings concerning HRT caused many ongoing hormone replacement therapy studies to be halted prior to their completions. There was fear that the women involved in the studies were being subjected to unnecessary risks. As a result, many doctors chose to stop prescribing HRT as a matter of course. Women also became reluctant to use estrogen and progesterone as their primary methods for relief of post hysterectomy menopause symptoms.

Despite the fact that hormone replace therapy is now under intense scrutiny there are individual cases where its advantages may preclude its disadvantages. A woman facing hysterectomy should not reject or accept HRT out of hand; rather she should make a well researched and considered decision in consultation with her doctor. As with most important medical decisions, the choice to take hormone replacement therapy should be based on the specific circumstances of the woman involved.

Check Out Our Brand New e-Book –> Women’s Hysterectomy Stories – The Essential Guide by: Ruth Steeves. Click Here Now for Instant Access!