As of: March 24, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Laura Knops
Comments
Press
Split
Menopause can be torture for some women.
Hormone replacement therapy can help with the typical symptoms - but is also controversial.
Hot flashes, sleep disorders and mood swings – for some women during menopause (climacteric), the symptoms can become so stressful that they suffer enormously from the symptoms in their everyday lives.
Hormone therapy can help with menopausal symptoms.
However, not every doctor is convinced of the treatment.
The reason for this are side effects that can occur if used incorrectly.
Hormones: What happens during menopause
Not every woman relies on hormones during menopause.
However, when used correctly, the therapy can provide relief.
© BSIP/Imago
During menopause the female body changes.
The production of certain hormones, especially estrogen and progesterone, gradually decreases.
This can cause well-known symptoms such as hot flashes and sweating.
The risk of osteoporosis and depression also increases.
Hormone therapy (hormone replacement therapy, HRT) is often prescribed to women with severe menopausal symptoms, but is highly controversial.
You can find even more exciting health topics in our free newsletter, which you can subscribe to right here.
Hormone replacement therapy was already offered in the 1960s, as
ZDF Today
reports.
However, the treatment only fell into disrepute in 2002 when, as part of a large-scale study by the
Women's Health Initiative (WHI),
there was an increase in breast cancer as well as thrombosis and strokes.
The study had to be stopped prematurely and the prescription of hormones suddenly fell.
However, the study is now classified as only “limitedly informative” due to its not entirely correct structure.
Treatment with hormones depends on the symptoms
Depending on the severity of the symptoms and the associated restrictions for the patient, therapy with hormones is recommended.
If the individual level of suffering is so high that everyday life and life are restricted, bioidentical hormones should actually have some advantages, according to the
Pharmacy Umschau
, as long as the individual's previous illnesses and living conditions are taken into account.
also read
Princess Kate also affected: cancer in the abdomen, which can occur in younger women
Osteoporosis: Ten foods strengthen your bones
Bioidentical hormones are substances that are identical in structure to female estrogens, which are produced in the ovaries.
The hormones are usually made from yam or soybeans.
Hormone therapy: when is it not recommended?
About a third of menopausal women suffer from severe so-called vasomotor symptoms (VMS) such as hot flashes and sweats, joint problems and loss of libido, as the health portal
Doccheck.de
reports.
For the women affected, daily life is extremely restricted.
The patients are dependent on treatment because normal everyday life is hardly possible without therapy.
In these cases, according to the expert Dr.
Petra Brand taking hormones is recommended.
In addition to another third of patients who go through menopause without any symptoms, the remaining women usually experience clear but less debilitating symptoms.
In these cases, treatment recommendations are not clear.
“There are guides for women that come across very casually and say that today every woman can take hormones.
That's not true, the benefits and risks have to be weighed up," explains Dr.
Annette Beckermann, head of the department of gynecological endocrinology and reproductive medicine at the University Hospital Frankfurt opposite the
Pharmacy Umschau
.
Pre-existing conditions and cancer: weighing up the benefits and risks
According to the Professional Association of Gynecologists (BVF),
the administration of hormones is
not intended to exactly restore the previous hormone concentration in the body.
Rather, the treatment is aimed at the symptoms caused by the estrogen deficiency.
In the best case, hot flashes and sweats disappear completely.
Before hormone replacement therapy is recommended, the treating doctor will carry out an extensive examination.
In addition to previous illnesses, a blood test for hormone levels is also essential.
The illnesses that speak against hormone therapy include a predisposition to thrombosis and having survived breast and endometrial cancer.
In these cases, the administration of hormones can increase the risk of developing the disease again.
When taking hormones, an annual check of the risk of breast cancer is essential. “This increases the longer and the higher the dosage you take the hormones,” explains Dr.
Annette Beckermann.
Therefore, an annual check-up with a gynecologist is important.
Therapy should end after three or five years at the latest.
When exactly depends on the patient's current life situation.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.