Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy

With the increase of human life expectancy, the pre-menopause period and the post-menopause period have become the longest stage in a woman's life. Therefore, it is necessary to provide comprehensive lifestyle guidance and health services to women in this stage, including diet, exercise, smoking control, avoiding risks, etc., and guide suitable groups to undergo menopausal hormone replacement therapy (commonly known as MHT) to alleviate women's menopausal-related symptoms and enhance and improve their quality of life. Growth hormone replacement therapy is not perfect, nor is it suitable for everyone. Many factors should be distinguished when selecting for patients in clinical medicine.

The essence of menopause is ovarian decline. At this stage, women will experience a variety of menopausal symptoms, tissue atrophy and degeneration, and metabolic and neurological disorders, leading to a series of health problems. Women experience a group of syndromes characterized by ovarian failure and decreased estrogen levels, mainly central nervous system dysfunction accompanied by neuropsychological symptoms, which is called female menopausal syndrome. It is often called a syndrome because women will experience a variety of symptoms during menopause, which generally involve the following aspects. Understanding these manifestations can not only confirm the diagnosis, but also help determine whether hormone replacement therapy is needed in the future.

Abnormal menstrual pattern:

Ovarian fluctuations are mainly manifested in irregular menstrual cycles, prolonged menstruation, and increased or decreased menstrual volume. Irregular menstruation is the only sign that women are in the menopausal buffer period.

Vasomotor instability:

The specific manifestations are sweating and sweating. More than half of women experience hot flashes, sweating, and rapid heart rate when their ovaries begin to decline. Menopausal symptoms worsen and the frequency of onset increases. Symptoms often last for 1 to 2 years, and 25% of women have symptoms lasting 4 to 5 years or longer.

Contractile changes in the urogenital system:

Vaginal dryness, itching, pain during sexual intercourse, frequent urination, urgency and inability to hold urine, urinary incontinence, and recurrent genitourinary tract infections caused by the shrinkage of the epithelial cells in the vagina and the urethral opening.

Psychoneural symptoms:

Lack of concentration, mood swings, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, depression, and dizziness.

Symptoms associated with long-term estrogen deficiency:

Osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, etc.

Growth hormone replacement therapy

Benefits established

British colleagues have conducted a lot of scientific research on the efficacy of growth hormone replacement therapy (MHT). The American College of Endocrinology pointed out in its research statement that the main benefits of MHT include reducing sweating and genitourinary symptoms, preventing fractures and diabetes, and its risks are venous thrombotic events, stroke and cholecystitis. For women who start MHT between the ages of 50 and 59 or within 10 years of menopause, additional benefits include reduced total mortality and reduced coronary heart disease. The combined use of estrogen and some synthetic estrogen for more than 5 years increases the risk of breast cancer, but the risk is not increased for those using estrogen alone. The combined use of estrogen and natural or near-natural estrogen may not increase the risk of breast cancer.

In short, the benefits of MHT are clear, and starting MHT early is also good for the endocrine system. The most likely risks are breast cancer and venous thrombosis. Some experts and scholars have suggested that choosing natural or near-natural estrogen can avoid potential breast cancer risks. Transdermal estrogen may not increase the risk of breast cancer, nor does it increase the risk of stroke and venous thrombosis, and is suitable for older women.