Hysterectomy hormone replacement was the normal treatment for women who not only had a hysterectomy but also those who dealing with severe natural menopause symptoms. A couple of years ago a study was released that suggested hormone replacement therapy, specifically estrogen therapy, can cause cancer. This has left women wondering what are the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy and which direction should they go. Estrogen is considered to play an important part in a young woman's health. If your ovaries are removed before you turn 45 or before you naturally enter menopause then the lack of estrogen can cause other health problems. The three most critical health problems that can occur due to the lack of estrogen are heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and early onset dementia. The negative aspects of hysterectomy hormone replacement depend largely on your health, age, or health risks so you need to inform your doctor of everything (especially your mother and father's medical history) before making this decision.
Positive Aspects of Hormone Replacement after Hysterectomy
- Estrogen is considered to play an important part in a young woman's health. If your ovaries are removed before you turn 45 or before you naturally enter menopause then the lack of estrogen can cause other health problems. The three most critical health problems that can occur due to the lack of estrogen are heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and early onset dementia.
- If you are having severe menopause symptoms, particularly hot flashes, and the other treatments that you have tried aren't working then you may benefit from hysterectomy hormone replacement. The studies have shown that estrogen replacement can cut down on the frequency of hot flashes.
- Estrogen hormone replacement therapy can also help your body maintain healthy bones. It has been known to slow down osteoporosis as well as increase bone density.
- Women who only have an oophorectomy, removal of ovaries, typically get estrogen and progestin. If the uterus remains estrogen replacement can increase the risk of cancer but if it is combine with progestin that risk is greatly decreased. Researchers believe that the combination of estrogen and progestin also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
Cons of Hormone Replacement after Hysterectomy
- There are women who don't have severe symptoms even after surgical menopause and they don't need estrogen hormone therapy. Also some women can be treated through other drugs or even lifestyle changes. For women who don't need hysterectomy hormone replacement but decide to do it anyway, they are just putting extra drugs into their bodies.
- For women over 45, natural menopause would be decreasing the estrogen levels naturally. This age is just an average because women don't go into menopause the instant they hit 45, some of them naturally enter menopause earlier and some are quite a bit older. If a woman starts estrogen replacement during a time when the body is expecting decreasing estrogen levels than the risk for heart disease increases.
- Estrogen replacement puts a lot of stress on the liver if taken in pill form. Women with liver disease should look at other options before deciding to go with hysterectomy hormone replacement. If there is no other choice, estrogen can be absorbed into the body through a patch so that it bypasses the liver.
- Hormone replacement after hysterectomy can cause side effects that represent premenstrual symptoms. Women have reported headaches, nausea, and swollen, painful breasts due to hormone replacement therapy.
- Women who are at a high risk for these other health problems should not go on an estrogen replacement therapy due to hormone increasing the risk:
Hysterectomy hormone replacement in the form of the classical "estrogen replacement" isn't always considered a good option for women in general these days. Your doctor may suggest hormone replacement as well as discussing other bio-identical hormone options. It's good to do some research and know what is best for your body before blindly accepting the first opinion you get. After you have discussed and possibly even tried other options you may find that one works best for you.