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Lakeside Women's Hospital

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Lakeside Women’s Hospital, INTEGRIS Health of Oklahoma City is offering hormone replacement therapy, the innovative therapy effective in combating a number of issues women face as we age.

During menopause, your ovaries decrease production of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. This decline in hormones puts a permanent end to menstruation and fertility, but it can also cause hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and urinary problems.

The solution? For decades, doctors routinely eased these symptoms with hormone replacement therapy — medications containing female hormones to replace the ones the body is no longer making. And it was widely believed that boosting estrogen levels after menopause could also ward off heart disease and osteoporosis, while improving quality of life and keeping women young.

Today, hormone replacement therapy is still considered the most effective treatment for unpleasant menopausal symptoms for most women. However, in 2002, a large clinical trial called the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) caused plenty of confusion. The study reported that hormone therapy posed more health risks than benefits for women in the clinical trial. As the number of health hazards attributed to hormone therapy grew, doctors became less likely to prescribe it. And up to two-thirds of women discontinued its use, often without talking to their doctors.

The truth is that hormone therapy is not the magical cure for aging that it was once believed to be, but it's still the most effective treatment for unpleasant menopausal symptoms for most women. If you're facing menopause, learn more about the benefits and the risks of hormone therapy.