As you transition to menopause, your ovaries stop making high levels of estrogen.  This can cause uncomfortable symptoms like:

•Hot flashes

•Night sweats

•Vaginal dryness and painful sexual intercourse.

•Mood swings, depression or irritability.

•Insomnia.

•Leaking pee Estrogen therapy involves taking only estrogen.

 

Healthcare providers most often prescribe a low dose of estrogen to begin with.  

 

Estrogen comes in many forms, like:

•Pills that you swallow by mouth.

•A patch that sticks to your skin.

•A gel that you apply to your skin.

•A ring that you wear inside your vagina.•A cream that you apply to your vagina.

•Tablets that you place inside your vagina.

•A spray that you apply to your arm.

 

If you’ve had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove your uterus), your provider typically recommends estrogen-only therapy.  This is mainly because estrogen taken alone has fewer long-term risks than HT which uses a combination of estrogen and progesterone.  

 

If you have a uterus then HRT combination therapy (estrogen & progesterone (progestin) therapy or EPT) is recommended because you need progestin to reduce your risk of uterine cancer, which is higher when you take estrogen only.   During your reproductive years, cells from your uterine lining shed during menstruation.  When you stop getting your period and the lining stops shedding, estrogen can cause an overgrowth of cells in your uterus, a condition that can lead to cancer.

 

For more information on risks/benefits and side effects, please go to which is also the resource for information on this page:

 

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for Menopause (clevelandclinic.org)