Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Home Medical Services Women's Health Midlife Hormone Therapy
Print

Get Relief from Menopausal Symptoms

Menopause is a natural process when a woman stops having menstrual periods, usually when she’s in her 40s or 50s. It signals the end of a woman’s reproductive years.

Menopausal symptoms can be painful, distressing and uncomfortable. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can provide relief.

Learn what every woman should know about menopause.


Types of Hormone Therapy

There are a variety of ways you can get menopausal HRT, including:

  • Pills
  • Skin patches
  • Estrogen cream
  • A class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)

Your doctor can customize HRT to find the best method for you with the fewest side effects.


Signs You May Benefit from HRT

During menopause, a fluctuation in hormones can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as:

  • Bone loss
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Hot flashes
  • Irritability
  • Low sex-drive
  • Night sweats
  • Painful intercourse
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Weight gain

If your symptoms start to interfere with your daily life, HRT could help. HRT replaces the hormones your body is no longer naturally producing to reduce your discomfort.

At Sanford Women’s, we help you live your best quality of life. HRT is a treatment that can effectively minimize distressing symptoms during menopause.

Talk to your doctor to discuss all your treatment options.

Find a Provider


Is Hormone Therapy Safe?

The risks of HRT depend on the treatment option you choose, the dose, how long you take it and your preexisting health risks.

Similar to birth control, HRT can increase your risk of blood clots. This risk is higher the older you are and lowest when you’re 50 to 59 years old or within 10 years of starting menopause.

You shouldn’t take HRT unless the benefits of the treatment outweigh its risks. Your provider will help you make that decision.


What are the Effects of HRT?

HRT can cause some side effects, including:

  • Bloating
  • Breast tenderness or swelling
  • Headaches
  • Mood changes
  • Nausea
  • Vaginal bleeding

Learn more about hormone therapy.

Find a Location

Use current location

Find a Doctor

Use current location

Find A Doctor

Find A Location

Women's Menu

Additional Information

How Much Do You Know About Menopause?

When does menopause typically begin? How many menstrual cycles do you have to miss before you are considered menopausal? What can cause premature menopause? Test your knowledge about these and more facts about menopause.

Take the Quiz

How Does Family History Affect Menopause?

Every woman will experience menopause, but how and when you begin the natural process is different from person to person. This can be the result of a combination of factors that influence your health: lifestyle and environment, but also genetics and family history.

Read More

Learn Estrogen's Effects on the Female Body

Estrogens are a group of hormones that play an important role in the normal sexual and reproductive development in women. They are also sex hormones. Your ovaries make most estrogen hormones, although your adrenal glands and fat cells also make small amounts of the hormones. Learn more about what these hormones can control, and what you can do about their effects.

Read More

Sanford Health News

View All News

Classes & Events

View All Classes and Events