Symptoms associated with menopause are often treated by estrogen therapy
. It helps reduce hot flashes, dryness, and itching or burning around the vagina. It also reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis with age.
There were studies conducted on the negative side effects of estrogen therapy and the findings included higher susceptibility of developing cancer of the uterus and breast. These findings had scared millions of women away from hormone replacement therapy for fear of health.
But now there is new evidence to suggest that estrogen intake during and after menopause may not be that bad after all. If a woman had her uterus removed, hormone replacement therapy using estrogen will not raise the risk of breast cancer. So at least some women may be able to continue enjoying the benefits of estrogen therapy without suffering from serious side effects such as developing breast or uterine cancer.
Perhaps a decade ago, initiating hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women was not such a tough decision to make. But since then, there have been much research conducted and the findings are not very encouraging when it comes to the negative side effects that long term estrogen usage can have on women.
There was a landmark study that published findings on increased risk of stroke in women treated with estrogen alone and increased risk of breast cancer in women who have been treated with a combination of estrogen and progesterone. But the latest research findings indicate otherwise. No significant increase in risk was noted in women who are treated with estrogen. In fact breast cancer risk was seen to come down a bit.
The decrease in Breast Cancerrisk was not significant; therefore estrogen is not to be considered as a means of decreasing the chances of developing breast cancer. But the results serve to provide some relief to patients who are undergoing hormone replacement therapy to improve their life.
The studies conducted have so far focused on the effects of estrogen on white women, there needs to be more studies to look into how black women are affected.
The message for women is that they have to decide for themselves whether they want to opt for hormone replacement therapy. While the therapy definitely improves the quality of life, women also need to be aware of the side effects and the different stances taken by different research papers through the years. It is up to the individual woman to decide whether se wants to take the risk to see if she can get some respite from the symptoms of menopause and feel better.