It is not common to start hormone therapy for bone health at or after the age of 60. By the age of 60, arteries are generally stiffer and women at this age are more at risk of cardiovascular disease, hence commencing hormone therapy may increase their risk of cardiovascular disease or events.
There is good news for older women age who are experiencing menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. You can safely get relief with hormone therapy (HT), according to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
However, for many women, HRT can be a truly transformative, positive intervention even after the age of 65.
The Multiple Benefits of HRT After 65
Introducing exogenous estrogen via HRT therefore not only addresses more overt postmenopause symptoms, it can offer protection against bone loss and help you prevent osteoporosis. These benefits are no less important once you reach the age of 65.
Women who begin hormone therapy at age 60 or older or more than 10 years from the onset of menopause are at greater risk of the above conditions. But if hormone therapy is started before the age of 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits appear to outweigh the risks.
By supplementing your body's natural hormone levels, HRT can help you maintain a more youthful body composition. While this effect is particularly evident in men, research suggests that women can also benefit. HRT is also known to help women maintain softer, smoother skin, resulting in a younger look.
Is it safe to take progesterone after menopause? Yes, it is generally safe to take progesterone after menopause. However, as with any medication, some women may experience certain side effects. Your likelihood of experiencing these side effects, as well as the type and intensity, vary depending on several factors.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
However, a Mayo Clinic study found that many women experience hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood changes and other menopause symptoms beyond mid-life and into their 60s, 70s and even their 80s.
HRT initiated before the age of 60 or within 10 years of the menopause is likely to be associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease and cardiovascular mortality. If HRT is to be used in women over 60 years of age, lower doses should be started, preferably with a transdermal route of estradiol administration.
Women who start HRT within ten years of the menopause, and then continue to take it in the long term, have a lower risk of all causes of death, including cancer. Ages 50–59 – the benefits of HRT outweigh the risk. Ages 60–69 – the benefits of HRT are approximately equal to the risks.
One of the common treatment options for menopausal symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), supplementing your hormone levels to rebalance your system. However, you may prefer to move through menopause without using hormone treatments. And, women with previous hormone-dependent cancer shouldn't use HRT.
There's no limit on how long you can take HRT, but talk to a GP about how long they recommend you take the treatment. Most women stop taking it once their menopausal symptoms pass, which is usually after a few years.
Estrogen imbalance: Vitamin D deficiency may lead to lowered estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings and more. Impaired immune system: Vitamin D deficiency may lead to an impaired immune system, putting women at an increased risk of infection and illness.
However, most women who are otherwise fit and well do still gain benefits from taking HRT even if it has been more than 10 years since their menopause. You may decide to start HRT now because your symptoms have worsened, or you were expecting them to have gone by now but they haven't.
When a woman takes HRT orally, it goes directly to the liver, exposing it to relatively higher levels of oestrogen – which interferes with the liver's ability to burn fat and make a hormone called IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor-1).
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is medicine used to treat the symptoms of the menopause. It is common to have side effects in the first few months of taking HRT. These usually settle on their own within 6 to 8 weeks. Side effects include weight gain, irregular bleeding, feeling sick (nausea) and skin irritation.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been shown to increase epidermal hydration, skin elasticity, skin thickness (Sator et al 2001), and also reduces skin wrinkles (Phillips et al 2001).
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can affect weight loss in women. In addition to having less abdominal fat, the same study found that women undergoing HRT were almost one whole point lower on the body mass index (BMI) scale, and they had nearly 3 pounds less of fat mass.