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Women's Health
Menopause
Menopause defines the time when a woman's reproductive life comes to an end and is marked by the end of her menstrual periods. This is also known as the change of life. The symptoms which many suffer at menopause are primarily a result of estrogen deficiency. They may be short term (like hot flushes and night sweats) or long term (like the bone thinning disease, osteoporosis); physical or psychological, general or more localised. Whatever their nature, doctors now seem to agree that menopausal symptoms justify treatment.
Symptoms- Hot flushes
- Mood changes
- Night sweats
- Painful intercourse
Hot flushes are the most widespread and upsetting symptom of menopause. It can make daily life a misery or condemn women to endless broken nights' sleep. Like most symptoms after menopause, hot flushes and night sweats occur when the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Because hot flushes are related to changing hormone levels, hormone therapy (HT), which "replaces" the body's lost estrogen, often brings great relief. Women taking HT to control hot flushes often find that symptoms return when the HT is stopped.
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Treatment Options
Hormone Therapy (HT)Hormone Therapy (HT) can only be prescribed by gynaecologists, doctors at well-woman clinics and GP's. Your medical history and a few checks will indicate if you are suitable for HT, and determine if this is the right solution for you.
All kinds of HT (tablets, skin patches and implants) are available. Women who have had a hysterectomy normally need no other hormone but estrogen; however, women who still have a uterus (womb) must also take a short course of progestogen each month. This will cause a return of monthly periods. Alternatively, there are forms of HT that combine the effects of estrogen and progestogen in a single tablet or patch without the need for monthly periods.
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Prevention of osteoporosis is of great importance because there are no guaranteed methods of successful treatment. This can be helped by lifestyle measures like exercise and following a diet with adequate calcium and/or by various therapies designed to prevent bone loss. HT has become the most accepted preventative treatment.
Emotional symptoms might well be related to the changing hormone level and because moods usually improve when other symptoms go away, HT often brings great relief. Indeed, so many women have said how much better they feel on HT that this is often a sufficient reason for prescribing it.
All kinds of HT are useful but in cases where vaginal dryness is the only symptom, a natural estrogen cream applied to the vagina twice a week usually provides adequate relief. Localised estrogen creams, however, will have little effect on other menopausal symptoms. In these cases, other forms of HT (tablets, skin patches or implants) would be prescribed. Vaginal lubricant creams might be useful for those who cannot take HT.
Generally, regular exercise and a healthy diet and lifestyle will keep the body in good shape, and make any menopausal symptoms easier to cope with.
Natural Hormones'Natural' or bioidentical estrogens are often promoted as 'safe' or 'risk-free' alternatives to conventional HT. However, there is no reliable data to support these claims and natural hormones can be expected to have the same risks as conventional HT regimens.
Furthermore, long-term safety data on these herbal remedies are not available.
Hormone Therapy Options from Adcock IngramHormone therapy treatment can only be prescribed by your doctor. Speak to your doctor about the best treatment option for you.
Adcock Ingram offers choice and flexibility, with equally effective hormone therapy treatments in tablet form and the world's smallest patches
Visit www.healthywomen.co.za, Adcock Ingram's Healthy Women, website for more information.
REFERENCES:
1. Fugh-Berman A, Bythrow J. Bioidentical hormones for menopausal hormone therapy: Variation on a theme. JGIM 2007;22:1030-1034.
2. Taylor M. Bioidentical' estrogens: Hope or hype? Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause 2005;3(2):68-71.
3. Meeting Report. Hormone replacement therapy – practical recommendations. Climacteric 2004;7(Suppl 1):11-35.
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