Lourdes West Pasco - Women's Health Menopause Care

Hormone Replacement for Menopause

Our physicians can help you decide if hormone replacement therapy is right for you. Estrogen remains the most effective treatment for relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. It can also ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse. Long-term hormone therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal conditions is no longer routinely recommended. But women who take estrogen for short-term relief of menopausal symptoms may gain some protection against the following conditions:

Menopause and Osteoporosis
Studies show that hormone therapy can prevent osteoporosis, the bone loss that occurs after menopause, which decreases the risk of osteoporosis-related hip fractures.
  
Menopause and Colorectal Cancer
Studies show that hormone therapy can decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.

Menopause and Heart Disease
Some data suggest that estrogen can decrease the risk of heart disease when taken early in your postmenopausal years. A randomized, controlled clinical trial — the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) — exploring estrogen use and heart disease in younger postmenopausal women is under way, but it won't be completed for several years.

For women who undergo menopause naturally, estrogen is typically prescribed as part of a combination therapy of estrogen and progestin. This is because estrogen without progestin can increase the risk of uterine cancer. Women who undergo menopause as the result of a hysterectomy can take estrogen alone.

Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy for Menopause

Bioidentical hormones are manufactured in the lab to have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your own body. By contrast, synthetic hormones are intentionally different.

Though bio-identical hormones have been around for years, most practitioners are unfamiliar with them. There are several branded versions now available for use in the kind of hormone replacement therapy typical of synthetic hormones. This is often a one-size-fits-all dosage regime. In our practice, we have had the greatest success with an individualized approach.

We begin with laboratory tests of hormone levels (a so-called “hormone panel”). When warranted, we then prescribe a precise dosage of bio-identical estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, and/or DHEA that is prepared at a registered compounding pharmacy. Each patient is then monitored carefully through regular follow-up hormone panels to ensure she gets symptom relief at the lowest possible dosage. In the initial stages, we will do a hormone panel every three months. Once balance is restored, we’ll do one panel a year at the time of the annual exam.

Female Bladder Problems from Menopause

As women mature, the supporting structures of the pelvis change due to childbirth and age. This can result in female bladder problems, a condition of pelvic relaxation or prolapse of the vagina and uterus can occur. Mixed symptoms of increasing pressure and associated loss of urine can disrupt a woman’s day. Medical and surgical treatments are available to correct or reduce these symptoms.

Bladder Support Surgery
A variety of operations are available to support and restore the bladder to a functioning position. To reduce and eliminate activity-produced urinary loss, these operations are often combined with other procedures such as a hysterectomy to produce more durable and desirable results. The pubo-vaginal sling (with TVT) can be done as an outpatient procedure in many situations.

Please tell us about your experience with our physicians and feel free to ask questions about your care.

Menopause Information Resources

Wikipedia: Menopause
U.S. National Library of Medicine: Menopause
North American Menopause Society
The Mayo Clinic: Menopause