Hormone replacement therapy is used to treat symptoms from menopause in women. In this therapy commonly estrogen and progestin and sometimes testosterone hormones were given. These hormones are available in various form in market like pill, patch, injection, vaginal cream, nasal spray, tablet, or ring. You may need to try more than one form to find the best one for you.
Estrogen hormone comes in the following forms
- Nasal spray
- Pills or tablets, taken by mouth
- Skin gel
- Skin patches, which are applied to the thigh or belly area
- Vaginal creams or vaginal tablets, to help with dryness and pain with sexual intercourse
- Vaginal ring
Women who take estrogen and who have not had their uterus removed they also need to take progesterone. Taking these medicines together helps reduce the risk of endometrial (uterine) cancer.
Progesterone hormone comes in the following forms
- Pill
- Skin patch
- Vaginal cream
When doctor prescribes estrogen and progesterone together then Doctor will recommended one of the following dosage schedule
- Cyclic hormone therapy is often recommended when a woman is starting menopause. With this therapy, estrogen is taken in pill or patch form for 25 days, with progestin added somewhere between days 10 - 14. The estrogen and progestin are used together for the remainder of the 25 days. Then, no hormones are taken for 3 - 5 days. There may be monthly bleeding with cyclic therapy.
- Continuous, combined therapy involves taking estrogen and progestin together every day. Irregular bleeding may occur when starting or switching to this therapy. Most women stop bleeding within 1 year.
Additional treatment may be prescribed for some women with severe symptoms caused by menopause, or women who are at very high risk for osteoporosis or heart disease.