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).
The International Menopause Society guidelines recommend that if menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is prescribed, it be commenced before the age of 60, or within 10 years of menopause.
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.
There is very little evidence regarding starting HRT for older women because this research has not been undertaken. 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.
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 can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse. Need to prevent bone loss or fractures. Systemic estrogen helps protect against the bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis.
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.
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.
Until menopause status is confirmed pregnancy risk remains and contraception should be advised, for some women up until at least the age of 55. There is no definitive duration of use or age cut off for HRT use, as this should be individualised and risks assessed on a patient by patient basis.
If a risk-benefit analysis favors hormone replacement therapy, it may be appropriate and acceptable to initiate systemic or local HRT in some older women to improve the quality of their lives. Intuitively, prevention is preferable to the treatment of established disease.
Benefits of HRT
The main benefit of HRT is that it can help relieve most menopausal symptoms, such as: hot flushes. night sweats. mood swings.
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.
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.
Clonidine. Clonidine is a prescription medicine that can help reduce hot flushes and night sweats in some menopausal women. It's taken as tablets 2 or 3 times a day. It does not affect hormone levels, so unlike HRT it does not carry an increased risk of problems such as breast cancer.
The research, led by Prof Martin Widschwendter at the University of Innsbruck and UCL, found that the longer post-menopausal women were using combined HRT, the slower their cells were ageing. This benefit of slower cell ageing wasn't seen in women with breast cancer who had been using combined HRT.
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.
For postmenopausal women generally, the benefits of ERT--preventing osteoporotic fractures, reducing heart disease, decreasing mortality, and possibly reducing risk of Alzheimer's disease-out-weigh the risks of endometrial and breast cancers.
It is not usually appropriate for women over 60 to be starting HRT but as the WHI study shows, women initiating it over 60 years do not seem to be at increased risk of cardiovascular events or mortality. Many women seek advice on the effects of HRT on sexual activity and desire.
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.
Estrogen deficiency following menopause results in atrophic skin changes and acceleration of skin aging. Estrogens significantly modulate skin physiology, targeting keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes, hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and improve angiogenesis, wound healing and immune responses.