Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Hormone replacement therapy, also called menopausal hormone therapy, is a prescription treatment that supplies hormones the ovaries make less of during perimenopause and menopause. The main hormone is estrogen. If you still have a uterus, a progestogen is added so estrogen does not act on the uterine lining alone. At Juvenate Medical, this conversation sits inside functional medicine. The practice already lists hormone balancing for PCOS and menopause among its areas of care. PCOS hormone care and menopausal hormone therapy are not the same plan. Both start with a visit, your history, and laboratory work chosen for you.

People commonly ask about hormone therapy for symptoms of the menopause transition. Those symptoms include hot flashes and night sweats, sleep broken by those symptoms, mood changes that travel with poor sleep, and vaginal dryness. Bone health is part of the same discussion, because the drop in estrogen is one reason bones become thinner after menopause. Systemic therapy, given as a pill, patch, gel, or spray, travels in the bloodstream and is the form used when hot flashes are the problem. Low-dose vaginal estrogen stays mostly in the vaginal tissue and is considered when dryness is the main concern.

Hormone therapy is individualized. The Menopause Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both describe the choice as a balance of your symptoms, your age, how long it has been since menopause, and your medical history. Benefits can include fewer bothersome hot flashes and relief of vaginal dryness, and support for bone health. Risks can include blood clots, stroke, and, with longer use of estrogen plus a progestogen, a higher chance of breast cancer. Some people should not use systemic hormone therapy. That list includes a history of breast cancer, cancer of the uterus, unexplained vaginal bleeding, liver disease, blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. Side effects can include breast tenderness, bloating, headache, and spotting.

Custom-compounded hormones have not been shown to be safer or more effective than prescription products that have been reviewed for quality, and the dose can vary. A product is not a better choice only because it is marketed as natural.

Nothing on this page promises a result. Hormone therapy is one option to review with a physician after a consultation and labs, and any plan is checked again over time.

Sources

• Hormone Therapy. The Menopause Society.
• Hormone Therapy for Menopause. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

This page is general education, not medical advice. It is not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Decisions about testing and treatment belong in a visit with your own clinician.