While most women experience natural menopause around the age of 50, some women reach menopause much earlier or after surgery. In these cases, HRT should typically be started immediately. Menopause that happens before the age of 40 is known as premature menopause, while between 40 and 45 it is known as early menopause.
You can usually begin HRT as soon as you start experiencing menopausal symptoms and will not usually need to have any tests first. However, a blood test to measure your hormone levels may be carried out if you're aged 40 to 45.
Hormone therapy can be extremely beneficial for bone health purposes for women up to the age of 60 years, and in some circumstances women may continue hormone therapy after this age, depending on their general health, family history and bone density / history of fracture.
In addition to increasing longevity, hormone replacement therapy can help to address many of the changes we experience as we grow older. Estrogen therapy is associated with healthier and younger-looking skin in women.
Some women find that when they stop taking HRT after just a few years, they have no more symptoms. Other women have a return of their symptoms when they stop taking HRT. There is no set length of time you should take HRT for; it is an individual decision between yourself and your doctor or nurse.
It also provides long-term health benefits for many women and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, fractures, and heart disease. If HRT is started before the age of 60, or within ten years of the menopause transition, it reduces the number of early deaths in women.
HRT is also known to help women maintain softer, smoother skin, resulting in a younger look. In addition to—and, often, as a result of—these physical changes, HRT often changes how you see yourself. In very real ways, using HRT to address symptoms of hormonal change can help you feel younger.
Weight gain and HRT
There's little evidence that most types of HRT make you put on weight. You may gain some weight during the menopause and as you get older, but this often happens whether you take HRT or not. Exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet should help you to manage your weight.
Managing menopause symptoms without HRT
Cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods, and quitting smoking, can minimize your hot flashes. Exercising regularly can reduce your risk of weight gain, as well as symptoms of hot flashes and disrupted sleep.
One alternative that is now generating substantial interest is phytoestrogens and in particular a group called isoflavones. These are compounds found in foods that can behave in a similar way to oestrogen in the body.
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.
Many women believe that taking HRT will make them put on weight, but there's no evidence to support this claim.
Several studies have found that menopausal HRT can have a big impact not only on weight loss, but also how much fat your body stores and where.
This treatment option, which works by providing you with more of the hormones your body naturally used to make in higher quantities, can help boost your mood as well as alleviate other symptoms of tanking hormonal levels, such as a decreased libido.
When thrown out of balance, particularly when estrogen declines during menopause, facial hair becomes thick, dark, and scary. That's why your proper dose and type of HRT is so critically important. The estrogen will keep facial hair remarkably similar to what you experience throughout your life with an adequate amount.
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.
HRT is a safe and effective treatment for most going through menopause and perimenopause. Your GP will discuss any risks with you. HRT involves using oestrogen to replace your body's own levels around the time of the menopause.
Genes associated with follicle growth were not significantly altered by vitamin D3. However, it increases expression of genes involved in the estrogen-biosynthesis. Further, estrogen concentrations in porcine granulosa cell-cultured media increased in response to vitamin D3.
We generally advise starting HRT ideally within 6 years of your last period but certainly within 10 years. This means that you will still get the long term benefits of HRT. In older women who have not had a period for more than 10 years there may be a greater risk of some kind of coronary event when starting HRT.
Exercise. Exercise is key in getting to and staying at a weight that supports your health at any age. During menopause, it can help you lose belly fat. Doing “targeted" abdominal exercises to get rid of belly fat sounds like it would help, but you can't tell your body exactly where to shed pounds.