What Are the Treatments for Menopause?

After menopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often prescribed to resupply the body with the hormones it no longer produces. Discuss this with your doctor. As with any medication, there are risks and benefits, and each woman should decide if HRT is the right choice for her.

HRT typically consists of an estrogen/progestin supplement — usually given orally or through a skin patch or gel. Estrogen is the component that treats hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).

Estrogen alone can increase the risk of endometrial or uterine cancer — since it stimulates cell growth — but progestin counteracts that risk. However, progestin and estrogen both have negative side effects like irregular bleeding, headaches, bloating, and breast swelling and pain. You may even develop an artificial monthly period, depending on the dosage you’re on.

Estrogen may be used alone in women who have had a hysterectomy.

Recently, research on HRT through the Women’s Health Initiative turned up some controversial findings: Heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and breast cancer occurred more often in women taking combination HRT. Taking estrogen alone slightly increased the risk of stroke and blood clots and didn’t appear to increase or decrease the risk of heart disease. No increased risk of breast cancer was found for those women on estrogen-only therapy.