For the majority of symptomatic women, the benefits of menopausal hormone therapy MHT outweigh the risks. Healthdirect Australia is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. There is a total of 5 error s on this form, details are below. Please enter your name Please enter your email Your email is invalid. Please check and try again Please enter recipient's email Recipient's email is invalid. Please check and try again Agree to Terms required.
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Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. MHT may not be suitable for you if you have or have had: breast cancer , endometrial cancer or other cancers that are dependent on hormones undiagnosed vaginal bleeding untreated uterine lining thickening raised risk of thrombosis coronary heart disease, stroke or dementia blood clots in the legs or lungs untreated high blood pressure if you have high blood pressure that is treated, talk to your doctor about MHT The risks of MHT depend on your age, the type and dose of hormone therapy you take, duration of treatment, and your medical history.
You can minimise the risks associated with MHT by: taking it for less than 5 years and at the lowest effective dose. Back To Top. General search results. It's really crazy. I knew that there was no way," she said. But it didn't, and I'm glad. Although not everyone who transitions opts for surgery, or at least the same kinds of surgery, Ms Workman sees it as essential in her case.
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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. There's a massive price tag on being transgender in Australia. Beyond that, she's not sure how she'll cover costs.
Weight gain is common around the time of the menopause. Weight gain itself tends to be caused by the same biological causes that lead to weight gain at other times of our life eg calories, exercise and genetics. You may want to consider intervention for your weight. The guidelines and evidence is strong that blood tests are not normally required.
Why is this?! The FSH level rises as the woman approaches the menopause but not in a straight line. The FSH goes up and down along the way. MHT consists of Oestrogen to make you feel better, and a progestogen progesterone to protect the Uterus from The Oestrogen.
Hormonal therapy is generally more effective than SSRIs. In fact, the contraceptive pill is a safe choice for many peri-menopausal women. There is no question that Menopausal Hormone Therapy can be of huge benefit for women with troublesome hot flushes or sweats.
Recent UK, European, US and Australian guidlines all conclude that hormone therapy is generally the most effective treatment for typical menopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy can also improve mood. The Endocrine society guideline states that Estrogen Therapy improves flushes, genitourinary symptoms, sleep disturbance, menopause-associated anxiety and depressive symptoms, and joint pains.
Oestrogen comes in the form of tablets, patches or gel. There may be advantages to the patches or gel over the tablets. There are three patches available in Australia which are applied either weekly or twice weekly. The Gel is applied every day and is useful in women who have concerns over the patch sticking. There is only one official dose of gel in Australia which may be considered a little limiting but Oestrogen absorption may be altered by changing how the gel is applied.
Progesterone has the very important job to do, namely to stop the uterus from being stimulated by Oestrogen. Oestrogen used on its own may otherwise cause Cancer of The Uterus. Women who have had a hysterectomy do not require progestogen. Note that The TGA do not approve micronised progesterone that has been compounded. A dose of mg is taken as 2 x mg capsules at night. A lower mg dose may be considered with lower doses of oestrogen. The scare was caused by The WHI study. There is a small increased risk of Venous thrombosis with oral MHT around 1 per women taking MHT per year and this risk is highest in the first year of use but is also ongoing.
The metabolism of oral oestrogen by the liver causes an increase in clotting fators. There is an increased risk of breast cancer in older women with long term use. Take women taking MHT for 10 years : There are an extra 24 cases of breast cancer after 5 years use there are 6 extra cases.
Note that the oestrogen-only MHT after a hysterectomy has a much smaller breast cancer risk around 6 extra cases in women after 10 years use. A paper published in The Lancet in August has rightly received a lot of attention.
The Australian Menopause Society responded with a number of comments, including:. This can be helpful for women who experience side effects of progestogens, for example who experience breast tenderness.
Figures show that half of women decide to stop HRT within 12 months, and two thirds within two years. If and when the hot flushes return and are severe then the HRT can be restarted — and later gradually reduced in dose.
Women attending a menopause clinic naturally tend to focus on their menopausal symptoms rather than contraception. However, women remain potentially fertile until 12 months after the last menstrual period if over 50 years, and 24 months if below 50 years. There is no one-size-fits-all contraceptive solution. Other therapies, including vaginal oestrogen products, antidepressants or other medications, may be used depending on the symptoms and risk factors.
Seek advice from your doctor. HRT reduces the risk of various chronic conditions that can affect postmenopausal women, including:. HRT needs to be prescribed for each woman individually. Some women experience side effects during the early stages of treatment, depending on the type and dose of HRT. These side effects will usually settle within the first few months of treatment and may include:.
These small risks must be balanced against the benefits of HRT for the individual woman. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have. Women over 50 years of age who use combined oestrogen and progestogen progesterone replacement for less than five years have little or no increased risk of breast cancer. Women who use combined HRT for more than five years have a slightly increased risk. Women on oestrogen alone have no increased risk up to 15 years of usage.
There is no evidence to suggest that a woman with a family history of breast cancer will have an added increased risk of developing breast cancer if she uses HRT.
The risk with combined oestrogen and progestogen is greater than with oestrogen alone, or with newer HRT agents such as tibolone sold as Livial or Xyvion , and may also depend on the type of progestogen used. Studies suggest that medroxyprogesterone acetate and norethisterone have higher risks than dydrogesterone and progesterone. Women over 60 have a small increased risk of developing heart disease or stroke on combined oral tablet HRT. Although the increase in risk is small, it needs to be considered when starting HRT, as the risk occurs early in treatment and persists with time.
Oestrogen used on its own increases the risk of stroke further if taken in tablet form, but not if using a skin patch. Similarly, tibolone increases the risk of stroke in women from their mids. Women who commence HRT around the typical time of menopause have lower risks of cardiovascular disease than women aged 60 or more. Venous thromboses are blood clots that form inside veins.
Women under 50 years of age, and women aged 50 to 60, face an increased risk of venous thrombosis if they take oral HRT. The increase in risk seems to be highest in the first year or two of therapy and in women who already have a high risk of blood clots.
This especially applies to women who have a genetic predisposition to developing thrombosis, who would normally not be advised to use HRT. Limited research to date suggests the increased risk of clots is mainly related to combined oestrogen and progestogen in oral tablet form, and also depends on the type of progestogen used.
Some studies suggest a lower risk with non-oral therapy patches, implants or gels or tibolone.
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