Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) is a therapy to replace estrogen in a woman’s body, when she is in the stage of post menopause or for some reasons her ovaries have been surgically removed. This is the time when the production of estrogens does not take place in the body. The bone density in a woman increases till the age of 30 to 35. The productionof estrogen by the ovaries decreases as the woman comes to the age of 45 and 50. As they grow older the decline increases causing menopause.
Estrogen replacement therapy is a treatment procedure that involves surgery which has the goal or getting estrogen replaced within the body of a woman. Many ladies have low estrogen level in their body due to hereditary reason. Also this can be the effect of menopause. Even young ladies who had to remove their ovaries in a very early age suffer from low level of estrogen. The surgical procedure named as estrogen replacement therapy works in a brilliantly. This will remove the mood swings and other hormonal problems which the women have been suffering due to lack of estrogen.
Estrogen replacement therapy
is most commonly given to treat the symptoms of menopause which include disturbed sleep, hot flashes and dryness of the vagina. It is believed to prevent osteoporosis which is the result of decrease in estrogen levels. The estrogen therapy along with progesterone replacement is more beneficial. The combination of the two therapies is called Hormone therapy which is given by a medical PR actioner who can judge the risks involved by the treatment
Side effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) can be cramping, bloating, breast tenderness and sometimes the periods can come back for a few more years. Other side effects seen are weight gain, fluid retention and vaginal discharge. Side effects of this therapy take place in all forms of estrogen therapy but are more common with pills and are less common with patch , cream and vaginal ring.They can disappear on their own or slight change in the medicines can get rid of the effects
Other known suspected risks of this therapy are–
- The estrogen supplements given in high dose can lead to endometrial cancer. Normally a low dose of estrogen supplement with a form of progesterone is given by doctors to those who have their uterus.Progesterone protects the body from this type of cancer. Woman whose uterus and cervix is removes can be treated with only estrogen.
- It is not proven but some doctors believe that breast cancer can develop with HRT and ERT.
- Blood clots area rare possible risk of HRT and ERT. Some drugs given for osteoporosis can clot blood in the veins
Advantages of HRT and ERT are that this therapy reduces the risk of osteoporosis and heart diseases. It also gives relief from hot flashes and sweating at night. HRT and ERT helps in improving the psychological wellbeing.
The main disadvantage of ERT given without progestin increases the risk of breast and uterus cancer. Some cases show increase of blood pressure while taking estogen replacement therapy.
Caution should be taken when administering the treatment to women with breast cancer. The therapy is not advisable for woman suffering from headaches, asthma, diabetes and liver and heart diseases.
How does estrogen replacement therapy work?
Estrogen therapy is given through a patch, skin cream, gel or vaginal ring. In this manner the estrogen directly enters the bloodstream and does not go through the liver. The estrogen in pills puts stress on the liver. Estrogen patch can cause skin irritation. The estrogen vaginal ring must be replaced every three months.
If you want to increase the level of estrogen in your body when you are going through the post menopausal stage, estrogen therapy is one of the best solutions. Some women might have gone through the hysterectomy operation and have no uterus at all. Even for such women, estrogen replacement therapy works as a wonder. People can also avail this therapy if they have a risk of early bone loss.
When you should not use estrogen therapy?
Estrogen therapy might not be for all. If you are going to the below conditions, you should not undertake the estrogen therapy:
- Sleepless night due to hormonal problem
- If you are going through vaginal bleeding
- If you have the problem with ovary cancer
- If you are having the history of blood clot previously
You can now find place for estrogen therapies in various places. If you can do a systematic estrogen therapy, you can get correctness in your entire body. It has also the benefit of maintaining vaginal lining with the reduction in irritation. It helps in increasing the skin collagen as well within the treatment procedure.
Use of pills in estrogen treatment
People can avail different types of ERT. Consuming pills orally is one of the important considerations. This is the painless remedy that can be availed by women who wishes to get her estrogen replacement. You need to consult with doctor before going for the pills intake. If you consume it without any knowledge, this can lead to serious illness and side effects. Some pills have simple dosage of in-taking one pill in a day before consuming food. But there are pills which are not so simple with regards to its dosage.
Risk of cancer
Doctors say that estrogen must not be taken without progesterone. Some people might not know what is progesterone but these are also another types of hormone related to pregnancy. If the balance is not maintained, you can get the attack of deadly disease named as cancer. The cells received from endometrium do not leave the body of individual lady during periodic cycle, rather they gets connected to your uterus. This predominantly leads to the cancer cell development.
Is estrogen replacement therapy right?
Systemic hormone therapy is a variation among the estrogen replacement therapies that will be really suitable for maximum of women. There are different forms of such treatment such as sprays, pills, skin patches etc. You can avail any type of variance according to your like. You can stay away from the hot flashes during your menopause period. The vaginal discomfort can be eased with this treatment variety.
