As you age, your natural estrogen production changes. You create more estrogen when you begin puberty, and you continue to have high levels of the hormone through childbearing years. Estrogen levels naturally start to fall as menopause approaches.
Estrogen replacement therapies can help with a wide range of symptoms and medical diagnoses:
By replacing declining estrogen levels in your body due to menopause, hormone therapy can help ease the symptoms associated with menopause. Common symptoms include:
As these symptoms come with falling levels of estrogen, hormone replacement therapy can improve how you feel.
Estrogen is a key hormone when it comes to maintaining vaginal health. Declining levels of estrogen can lead to changes in the pH balance, lining, and tissue of your vagina. In turn, that may lead to a few different vaginal health issues, such as:
Estrogen replacement therapies can help treat the above conditions and alleviate those symptoms.
Bone loss, known as osteoporosis, may occur with menopause. Estrogen replacement therapies can be used as a treatment to counteract bone loss as well.
In many cases, new medications on the market can better prevent and reverse bone loss than estrogen. However, there are some cases when those medications are not as effective as hoped. They may also sometimes cause severe side effects. If that's the case for you, your doctor might recommend that you use estrogen instead to help treat your bone loss.
Your ovaries produce estrogen for your body. If your ovaries are not producing this hormone or if they are affected by another medical condition, you may need supplemental estrogen via hormone therapy.
Specific medical issues that may require this kind of treatment include:
If you have had your ovaries removed or are experiencing any of these other conditions, you may also experience symptoms of premature menopause. A doctor may recommend hormone therapy to help ease the symptoms associated with premature menopause.
Millions of men are already experiencing a higher quality of life and improved overall health with hormone replacement therapy. It’s never too early to begin monitoring your testosterone levels and it’s never too late to seek treatment for male hormonal imbalance.
Every man deserves to enjoy these benefits of hormone replacement therapy:
Hormone replacement therapy can reduce your cholesterol. High cholesterol can lead to deposits on your arteries' walls, which reduce blood flow and increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Hormone replacement therapy may also reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol specifically, which is "bad" cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is most associated with plaque that forms on artery walls. Thus, this specific kind of cholesterol puts you at greatest risk for developing heart disease.
But what about your "good" cholesterol? That's high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. HDL is commonly referred to as "good" cholesterol because it moves excess fat out of your bloodstream and into your liver. Your liver can then then burn that fat for energy. Hormone replacement therapy can improve your HDL levels, making it harder for plaque to clog your arteries.
Triglycerides, in general, are normal to have in your blood. They are just the kind of fat that your body uses for energy. If you have high levels of triglycerides, however, this may put you at increased risk of metabolic syndrome. High triglycerides are also a risk factor for heart disease.
Body mass index measures body fat as a percentage of your total weight. Healthy BMI reduces your risk for various health issues, including:
Fat stored in your stomach can actually lead to fat also accumulating on the pancreas and liver. As a result, men & women with larger waist measurements are actually at a higher risk for health issues related to obesity and heart disease.
Insulin, the hormone that your body produces when you have excess glucose in your bloodstream, is integral for controlling your blood sugar. If you are at risk for diabetes, you may develop a resistance to insulin. When this happens, your cells don't properly respond to insulin. This leads to high blood sugar, and it also reduces your body's ability to regulate your blood sugar levels. HRT can improve this issue.
Likewise, HRT can improve glycemic control. Poor glycemic control may lead to elevated blood sugar levels. Poor glycemic control is also considered a risk factor for developing diabetes.