Menopause often signals lot of changes in the body, mind and psyche of a woman along with stoppage of monthly periods. Vaginal dryness, hot flushes, mood swings and depression are common but sometimes can be severe enough to disturb the day today life of a peri-menopausal lady.
For most women these symptoms are short lived and pass off in a few months with slight modification in lifestyle or after taking over the counter medications. Some women on the other hand find it extremely hard to adjust to the new phase of their life and may develop suicidal tendencies due to depression.
Hormone replacement therapy with traditional Estrogens and progestogens had fallen out of favour with women and doctors in the last decade due to its perceived increase in the risk of heart problems and breast cancer if a woman takes them for many years.
New more robust studies conducted on thousands of women have now concluded that low dose estrogens including creams and trans-dermal patches along with cyclical progestogens are safe, effective and reduce depression, anxiety, memory loss, suicidal thoughts and improve mental sharpness.
HRT is most beneficial if started early i.e. within a year or two after menopause or even before menopause has actually set in. It improves menopausal symptoms without increasing the risk of heart disease or breast cancer. These hormones were found to be safe and did not increase blood pressure or heart disease risk and some even increased the amount of good cholesterol in the body thus reducing harm to less than normal.
The very recent evidence suggests that women who have significant menopausal symptoms which are severe enough to interfere with her day-to-day living should visit and inquire their doctors about prescribing HRT. This may help improve their symptoms and improve their quality of life.