Menopause Medication

What are hormone preparations against difficulties in menopause?

Menopause (climacteric) is the name for the time before and after the ovaries stop producing eggs and menstruation stops. Ovarian keeps up gradually to separate the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, and the amount of these hormones in the body decreases. It is primarily estrogen deficiency that can cause menopause symptoms. Lack of progesterone causes irregular bleeding.

It is estimated that approximately 20% of all women have minimal discomfort of menopause and not brands other than menstruation stops. The other plagued to varying degrees. The most common symptoms are hot flushes and dry irritated mucous membranes in the vagina. There can also be bothersome sweating, disturbed sleep and joint and muscle pain. Some also feel that they are more mentally unstable.

The main medical result of menopause is that the reduced amount of estrogen leads to increased bone from the skeleton at the risk of developing osteoporosis. In addition, increases women’s risk of atherosclerosis after menopause.

Medications that can be used are divided into two main groups:

• Locally acting: This is the estrogen in the form of cream or suppositories, entering the vagina. There is also an estrogen ring which may be in the vagina, without that one can feel it. It can be in three months. Creams and suppositories to be used several times a week. Local treatment only works locally in the abdomen and can be used by anyone without any time limit. Stopping treatment comes mucosal genes back
• Generally acting (systemic): This is estrogen supplementation, which acts in the abdomen, but also in the rest of the body. This prevents you hot flashes. The compositions are available as tablets, gel or patch hormone

The drugs are grouped according to which hormones, or combinations of hormones they contain.

local treatment

For the topical treatment used only estrogen. All except women treated for breast cancer, can use local treatment, and you can safely use the treatment as long as it should be. If you stop treatment comes genes back.

general treatment

estrogen

General treatment consists in the estrogen is estradiol, either alone or in combination with synthetic progesterone (progesterone). Estradiol is the same estrogen by the ovaries form. Estradiol is available as tablets, gel or patch. Re estradiol treatment should be used only for women who have had the uterus removed. Estradiol is the lining of the uterus to grow, taking only estradiol, do you get any bleeding problems, and after several years of treatment may have to get cell changes in the lining of the uterus. Therefore, women with a uterus intact have a combination treatment, ie + estradiol progestogen.

gestagenic

Progestogens is a common term for progesterone hormones. As mentioned, progestogens help to stabilize the cervical mucus so that your periods are regular.

Menopause begins like a stage where the only symptom is irregular bleeding, due to an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone in the body. In this phase, progestogen-only method used for regular bleeding. You can also take progestogen-only contraceptives continuously to stop menstruation altogether. Most suitable for this are hormone spiral.

Gestagenbehandling alone has no effect on other menopausal symptoms. After a period of bleeding disorders, it is normal that the woman gradually get other menopause genes as hot flashes. To appease these must combine gestagenbehandlingen with estrogen.

Progestogen-only contraceptives available in tablet form and as IUS. Using IUS is simultaneously protected against unwanted pregnancy.

Preparations constant hormone levels – continuous combination therapy

These compositions containing both estrogen and progestin. It is supplied with the same amount of hormone daily. It means that you are not going to soft – though there may be spotting the first few months. Then the lining of the uterus so thin that the bleeding stops.

The treatment is available in various forms: as tablets, which patch and patch combination / gel + IUS. Tablets and patches should be the earliest start to a year after the last menstrual period, else you may have bleeding problems. Hormone Spiral + patch / gel can start with the former.

In addition to spotting, this treatment can cause breast tenderness and increased fluid in the body. The side effects can usually be diminished by going down in dose.

Hormone preparations with varying content – processing sequence

Sequence Compositions containing both estrogen and progestin in a content which varies through a cycle. This means that you still have bleeding. You can start treatment when you get menopause complaints such as hot flushes and irregular bleeding, ie before menstruation stops. Sequence Preparations in the same way as the pill, but does not prevent pregnancy.

Compositions sequence is available as tablets and have the same side effects as a continuous combination therapy.

Birth control

Only after menopause can be absolutely sure that you can not get pregnant. During menopause it is such that even if one were to get pregnant, the possibility of pregnancy develops very small. Spiral, condom, pessary and sterilization most suitable for contraception in menopause. One should not use the pill, even if you think you’ve always been comfortable with this. The reason is that the high hormone content of the pill increases the risk of blood clot more, the older you get.

Risk

Previously recommending that women took hormones after menopause to prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that long-term use of estrogen + progesterone may increase the risk of breast cancer. Therefore, one does not use preventive hormone therapy anymore. The only reason for menopausal hormone replacement therapy is now moderate to severe hot / sweating. We recommend treatment in the smallest possible dose for the shortest possible time. Healthy women in their 50s may take combined HRT for five years and estrogen-only HRT for 7 years without increasing their risk of disease significantly. There is no certainty about how prolonged therapy affects the risk of disease.

Local treatment with hormones in the vagina is without risk, and you can start at any time, regardless of age. If you want to use general treatment should start no later than 10 years after menopause, otherwise the risk of side effects. Many other factors come into play in the pharmacovigilance risk – lifestyle, general health and hereditary conditions.

Most women are particularly worried about the risk of breast cancer, which already affects around every tenth woman. The risk of getting breast cancer due to hormone therapy is small, actually less than if an average drink two units of alcohol a day.

Alternative treatment

There is a large amount of natural compositions and alternative treatments that are sold for use against menopausal symptoms. So far there is no evidence that acupuncture, relaxation, mindfulness, exercise or herbal products are effective.

treatment Recommendations

• It should only take hormones during menopause, if one has bothered symptoms. The risk of side effects increases with duration of treatment and therefore processing time can be as short as possible
• The first time of menopause, the main problem is irregular bleeding, use gestagentabletter to get a regular cycle, or you can get an IUS
• If you get bothersome hot flashes, while still having menstrual periods, you should use a sequence preparation
• 1-2 years after menopause can use a combination product
• Women who have had the uterus removed, use pure estrogen therapy
• If discomfort in the abdomen is the only symptom, should use topical treatment

Cessation of treatment

There is no set rule for how long you should be treated. It is impossible to say in advance how long the genes will last. If you use hormones to transition generation, you can decide when you want to stop. You can try to scale down or stop abruptly. If genes come back, you can in consultation with your physician begin treatment again.