HRT Risks

The questions should be asked when getting ready to take hormone replacement therapy, “what are the risks of hormone replacement therapy?” and “what is the hormone replacement therapy risk?” Like all traditional or conventional medicines, hormone replacement therapy risk benefit is always a question, as hormone therapy can have side effects such the estrogen side effects--nausea, headaches, the breasts become tender, bloating of the abdomen. Even worse is the hormone progestin which not only includes the same side effects as estrogen but also water retention, irritability, mood swings, or anxiety. And like most traditional medicines, the higher the doses the worse the side effects are, with increased risks of HRT or hormone replacement therapy risks.

One of the worst side effects of hormone therapy is progestin, where it can cause a mimicking light menstrual period (withdrawal bleeding) to follow the end of a 10 to 14 day progestin cycle. Most women find this uncomfortable and a cancer concern, which weights heavily on the mind and possibly is a reality, is considered a serious risk of hormone replacement therapy. The bleeding is not there with different regimens of hormone therapy, such as taking both estrogen and progestin continuously, which always are considered HRT risks.

Another side effect of hormone therapy is PMS, which include depression, bloating, swollen and tenderness of the breast, fluid retention, and irritability. This can be eliminated or some reliefs with lower dosages or different regimes of the hormone therapy. Also, if hormone therapy is given with transdermal skin patches, it can occasionally cause itching or a slight skin redness under the patch. Also, some hormone therapy is given as a vaginal cream that can also cause skin reaction like an allergy, while others can cause acne conditions. The good news is that most skin irritations are only temporary, especially if the hormone is placed on clean and dry skin. The mixture of lotions or some other skin products along with the hormone cream or patch occasionally causes problems.

The migraine headaches are a side effect of the estrogen hormone therapy for women who have a history of migraines, in particular for those which are related to the woman’s menstrual cycle. What this means is that women with questionable health conditions should not be taking HRT, using another treatment method of choice. The risks of breast cancer and heart disease are two good reasons why most women do not want to take HRT anyway, so an evaluation of the woman’s health risk profile should be done, along with highly informed decision making about the therapy.