Balancing Act: The Role of Hormone Therapy in Women’s Health

With age, we hear many women having physical and emotional troubles. As evident, the level of the female hormones, estrogen, and progesterone decreases. The drop-down in the body as you become older. 

Now, this fluctuation in the body’s hormones can lead to so many health problems. This is often accompanied by many symptoms. For instance, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, or even insomnia, etc. 

Whereas, Hormone Therapy is used to help change this. It is used to replenish the low production of hormones in the body. Therefore it makes the lives of women much easier. In this blog, you will learn about the balancing act of Hormone Therapy For Women and the benefits it comes with. 

Understanding Hormone Therapy in Women

As already said, menopause causes several changes in a woman’s body. And doctors have found hormonal fluctuation to be the main cause. This happens because the ovaries produce less estrogen and progesterone. 

As a result, it leads to issues like osteoporosis and diabetes. Hence, hormone therapy is so necessary. It helps maintain the proper hormone balance. 

Now, there are two main types of hormone therapy. Estrogen Therapy is one of the ways while Combination Therapy is also another option.

Coming to the former, only estrogen is given. This helps the body function properly. Also, the way estrogen is applied is through pills, sprays, patches, etc. You should talk to your doctor to discuss what form works best for you. 

This treatment is also more suitable for women who have had a hysterectomy. Therefore, oral doses usually start low and are taken daily. Women with low estrogen before age 40 may need higher doses.

In Combination Therapy, both estrogen and progesterone are given. The common forms of application are mostly pills and patches. On the other hand, an intrauterine device can also deliver these hormones. 

The other thing to note is that this therapy can be continuous or sequential. It is however your doctor, who will be best able to decide what suits you best. That means they will decide if you need continuous or sequential doses.

How is hormone therapy beneficial for women?

It cannot be emphasized more that women after their menopause surely need hormone therapy. It is bound to reduce troubling concerns and make life better.  This is how hormone therapy has helped so many women:

Reduce vaginal dryness

This is one of the most common issues due to hormone fluctuation. It can be so troubling that it can make sexual intercourse difficult. This also causes a strain on one’s conjugal life.

However, hormone therapy is an effective way to treat this. Since it increases hormone levels, such problems are also resolved by the therapy. As a result, it also promotes a healthy sexual life. 

Helps with insomnia

Insomnia is a common issue in aged women. The reduced production of the female hormones is responsible for making the body unstable. It can lead to problems such as sudden night sweats and hot flashes, making it much more difficult for women to have a proper sleep schedule. 

Interference with one’s sleep schedule can have considerable negative impacts on one’s life. These problems can make it utterly difficult for them to carry out their daily life activities with ease. 

So, one needs to have a proper sleep schedule. Hormone therapy is designed to replenish the body’s inadequate hormonal levels, thereby ensuring a proper night’s sleep again.

Reduces the risk of osteoporosis

You would be surprised to hear that estrogen plays a significant role in maintaining bone health. Even bone density is regulated to some extent by estrogen. 

For instance, estrogen often influences the closure of growth plates in our bones. Therefore, low hormone levels can greatly increase the risk of osteoporosis. 

What happens is that low levels of hormones lead to cell differentiation and apoptosis. Thereby, it greatly increases the possibilities of bone resorption. So, to prevent the premature weakening of your bones, hormone therapy is beneficial. 

It helps reduce the porosity of the bones and works efficiently to strengthen them to the core. This therapy is also beneficial in making the body’s muscles stronger and more resistant to health problems. 

Promotes better mental health and cognitive functioning 

It is true when doctors say that hormones have a effect on your emotional health. To say the least, fluctuations can wreak havoc on one; ‘s mental well-being. This can even lead to depression and take a significant toll on one’s life.

As both estrogen and progesterone decrease, it leads to major consequences on mental health. For instance, issues such as frustration and irritability are very common. Some women also report restlessness, mental fatigue, and anxiety. 

Often it can even take a toll on your cognitive strength. This makes it very tough to carry out usual functions properly. However, with the help of hormone therapy, these problems can be managed efficiently. Therefore, this therapy can greatly contribute to better mental health. 

Decreases the risk of developing diabetes

Estrogen is greatly responsible for maintaining the body’s level of insulin. However, if your body starts producing reduced quantities of estrogen hormone, insulin levels are bound to fall. It can therefore increase the chances of type 2 diabetes. 

Hence it is very common for menopausal women to experience diabetes. This is due to the lower secretion of insulin. Thus, hormone therapy is used by doctors to balance the amount of insulin in the body. 

Since diabetes is a serious health problem, getting yourself clinically tested beforehand will help you a lot. You can potentially prevent further complications if you take early measures, and in this instance, hormone therapy. 

Prevents the risk of colon cancer

It cannot be denied that cancer is the deadliest disease humans know of. Unfortunately, Colon Cancer falls in the same. It is known to occur in the lower part of the digestive tract. 

It requires proper medical diagnosis and periodic screenings to identify the disease. The worrying thing is that it often does not present itself with visible symptoms. 

According to reports, patients with low production of estrogen in the body are at a greater risk of developing colon cancer than patients with hormonal equilibrium. 

Hence, after you reach the menopausal stage, opting for hormone therapy can be beneficial to combat the possibility of developing this major health condition. 

Final words

In other words, hormones need to be regulated for proper functioning. And with hormone therapy, the levels can be restored to normal. This will save the women from the worrying symptoms and help them live a better quality of life.