Side effects of hormone pills for women

Many people feel very resistant when they hear the word hormone, thinking that hormones will have adverse effects on the human body. In fact, hormones do exist in the human body. For example, estrogen is very important to women. If there is an abnormal secretion of estrogen in a woman's body, it will have a lot of impact on her physical health. In severe cases, women may even suffer from infertility.

1. Estrogen supplementation is called hormone replacement therapy by doctors. It was born in the 1960s and is mainly used to improve menopausal syndrome. In the United States alone, more than 40% of menopausal women take estrogen replacement medications, and many continue to use them into their 70s and 80s. Women are also told that estrogen is the fountain of youth, so some use it for breast enhancement, beauty treatments, and acne treatments.

2. In 1997, the American Women's Health Promotion Association began a clinical investigation and research to investigate the causes of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, and osteoporosis among nearly 170,000 American women aged 50 to 79. The investigation covered five aspects including diet and estrogen.

The women were randomly divided into two groups, one group took estrogen and progestin together, and the other group took a placebo. After more than five years of follow-up tests, it was found that although taking hormones has some benefits, such as reducing the risk of hip fractures and colon cancer, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Women who take estrogen and progesterone at the same time have a much higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots than those taking placebos. Among them, the incidence of breast cancer was 26% higher, the incidence of heart disease was 29% higher, the incidence of stroke was 41% higher, and the incidence of blood clots in the lungs and femoral veins was twice as high. The discovery surprised scientists. The agency informed all women participating in the trial of the results and asked them to stop taking estrogen.

3. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has now begun to revise its guidelines for the use of estrogen replacement drugs. Doctors are more cautious and no longer consider estrogen to be necessary and no longer strongly advocate estrogen replacement therapy.

1. Do not increase or decrease the dosage or stop taking the medicine without authorization

Patients taking hormones must follow the doctor's instructions, starting with a small dose, gradually increasing the dose, and then gradually reducing the dose until they stop taking the drug. Therefore, when reducing the dose, it should be done slowly over a long period of time and not too hastily.

2. Medication time: Glucocorticoids should be taken once after breakfast to reduce stomach discomfort and comply with the normal secretion rules of human hormones to achieve the best therapeutic effect.

Do not eat spicy, raw, cold or hard food. Because glucocorticoids increase the secretion of gastric acid, corrode the gastric mucosa, and lead to ulcers, peptic bleeding, etc.

4. Low-salt diet

ITP patients should avoid high-sodium foods and adopt a low-salt diet to reduce edema and prevent blood pressure from rising.

5. Pay attention to calcium supplementation during medication

ITP patients need to take calcium supplements or increase their calcium-rich diet when taking glucocorticoids, and take calcium tablets and vitamin preparations if necessary to avoid bone loss caused by long-term use of hormones.