Menopause is a natural phase in every woman’s life, bringing about various changes as your body adjusts to shifting hormone levels. As you move past your childbearing years, the hormones that were once plentiful start to decrease, leading to symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and even feelings of sadness.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help ease these symptoms by naturally restoring the hormones you’ve lost. However, choosing to use HRT, such as estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), is just the beginning. Estrogen therapy is available in different forms, including tablets, patches, creams, and sprays. The best option for you depends on your health, symptoms, personal preferences, and treatment goals. If you still have your uterus, estrogen is usually combined with progestin.
The most common form of ERT is oral medication, with examples like Premarin, Estratab, and Estrace. It’s important to follow your doctor’s instructions when taking these medications, which are typically taken once a day without food. Some dosage schedules can be more complex than others.
Estrogen tablets, like other forms of estrogen therapy, can help reduce or eliminate menopausal symptoms and also help prevent osteoporosis. Estrogen can also be delivered through gels, creams, and sprays, which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the skin. These are often used once a day, with gels and sprays applied from the wrist to the shoulder on one arm, and creams applied to the legs. For those with liver and cholesterol issues, estrogen creams are safer than oral estrogen because they bypass the liver.
Skin patches are another form of ERT, with examples like Alora, Estraderm, Vivelle-Dot, and Climara. Some patches combine estrogen and progestin, such as Combipatch and Climara Pro. Menostar has a lower estrogen level and is mainly used to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, without affecting other menopause symptoms. Patches are typically worn on the lower abdomen and need to be changed once or twice a week, as per the package instructions.
This type of estrogen treatment offers several benefits over oral therapy. Patches are convenient because you can apply them and not worry about taking a pill every day. Systemic estrogen treatment is effective for managing mild to severe hot flashes and night sweats during menopause.
If you’ve experienced early menopause or have low estrogen levels due to surgical removal of ovaries before age 45, early menopause, or primary ovarian insufficiency, estrogen therapy can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, stroke, dementia, heart disease, and mood swings. Estrogen also helps relieve menopausal vaginal symptoms like dryness, itching, burning, and pain during intercourse.
