Going to speak with your health practitioner can be a one way dialogue if you do not know what to ask before hand, or if the topic of discussion was one you had not planned for your particular visit. With hormone replacement therapy (HRT) it can be especially difficult unless you have some goals in mind you want to accomplish through treatment and this should also be discussed with a physician. Here are some good questions and a game plan one should have before they go in to discuss HRT.
Discuss why you want to take hormones. HRT is considered an elective therapy. The first thing one needs to realize is that the decision to use HRT is entirely up to the individual. Research lies on both sides of the fence with regard to risks and benefits of HRT–meaning nothing is concrete–that HRT will intensify certain risks, or the benefits are guaranteed. Permanent conditions exist that make HRT very important for a healthier life such as women who have surgically removed ovaries or long-term steroid use from treating medical conditions. Other women with breast cancer, blood clotting issues, or liver disease should avoid HRT as they become more susceptible to risks of treatment. Ultimately evaluating the risks and benefits is the most important part when deciding to use HRT.
Have your provider explain which product will be best for you and why. Pills tend to be the most common method of HRT, especially for women, like Estrogen Replacement Therapy which is a specific type of HRT. Most of the studies for heart disease or osteoporosis on women were done using pills so keep this in mind when analyzing the findings of your research to reach a decision. One of the most popular estrogen pills is Premarin which is a mix of naturally occurring hormones. Another popular choice are Estradiol pills. No studies can show a safety difference in the two, so be sure to research both to see which would be best for your situation. Patches have a more mild effect on both sides of the spectrum. Women who use patches most likely won’t benefit from increased HDL cholesterol levels since the estrogen is delivered through the skin. On the other hand they will more likely avoid risks such as gall bladder disease, high blood pressure, and blood clots because the treatment does not first pass through the liver. Creams are another popular alternative because the user can control the dosage level with much more simplicity than a patch or pills.
Remind your provider of your family history. This is important so a physician can accurately determine what treatment would be best after factoring ones genetic history. For women, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer, therefore a patient who has no history of heart disease would definitely want to mention this so a physician could accurately find a method of HRT that has the absolutely lowest exposure to increasing ones risk to breast cancer—even if that means utilizing a drug or method that could increase their risk to heart disease.
Discuss the length of time you need to be taking hormones for the specified reason you are taking them. Once you accomplish your goals, do you need to keep taking the therapies? The answer; yes and no. Usually one will need to continue to take some form of HRT to maintain the goals they have accomplished but not necessarily the levels or combination of treatments.
The largest problem we have seen is that most doctors know very little about hormone replacement therapy. While the idea of balancing the aging process through bio-identical hormones is relatively new, few doctors are embracing the practice. Why would a doctor be quick to prescribe Androgel, Axiron, or some other therapy produced by a large pharmaceutical, but look the other way when it comes to compounded bio-identical hormones without a big name drug manufacturer backing it? That’s a topic for another day, and for now I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.
NewEra HRT Group’s doctors specialize in HRT. They are knowledgable of best practices, have decades of combined experience, and are happy to connect with you when available. For more information, please reach out to your NewEra consultant (866) 647-8854.
The post How to Talk to Your Doctor About Hormone Replacement Therapy? appeared first on NewEra Health Group.
