Obstetricians and Hormone therapy treatment: Top Atlanta OBGYN
Obstetricians are women’s health specialists in Atlanta and Alpharetta Georgia. They can effectively handle hormone therapy for patients. Hormone therapy was once routinely used to treat menopausal symptoms and protect long-term health. What does this mean for you?
Hormone therapy is a medication that contains female hormones. Patients take the medication to replace the estrogen that their body stops making during menopause. Hormone therapy is most often used to treat common menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal discomfort. Hormone therapy has also been proved to prevent bone loss and reduce fracture in postmenopausal women.
However, there are risks associated with this therapy. These risks depend on the type of hormone therapy, the dose, how long the medication is taken, and the individual health risks. For best results, hormone therapy should be tailored to each patient’ and reevaluated often to be sure the benefits still outweigh the risks.
What are the basic types of hormone therapy?
Obstetricians say hormone replacement therapy primarily focuses on replacing the estrogen that the body no longer produces after menopause. There are two main types of estrogen therapy:
- Systemic hormone therapy. Systemic estrogen comes in pill, skin patch, ring, gel, cream, or spray form and it typically contains a higher dose of estrogen that is absorbed throughout the body. It can be used to treat any of the common symptoms of menopause.
- Low-dose vaginal products. Low-dose vaginal preparations of estrogen come in cream, tablet, or ring form — minimize the amount of estrogen absorbed by the body. Because of this, low-dose vaginal preparations are usually only used to treat the vaginal and urinary symptoms of menopause.
What are the risks of hormone therapy?
The risk associated with hormone replacement therapy include:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Blood clots
- Breast Cancer
Though studies have suggested that these risks vary depending on the patient:
- Age
- Type of hormone therapy
- Health history.
All of these risks will be considered by the physician when deciding whether hormone therapy might be an option for you.
Best obstetricians in Alpharetta and Atlanta Georgia
Obstetricians say to determine if hormone therapy is a good treatment option for you, talk to your OBGYN about your symptoms and health risks. Be sure to keep the conversation going throughout your menopausal years. As researchers learn more about hormone therapy and other menopausal treatments, recommendations may change. If patients continue to have bothersome menopausal symptoms, it is advisable to review treatment options with your physician regularly.
Georgia OBGYN is your best local physician for hormone therapy. They can help patients decide on the best plan that best fits their health. Book a consultation with your top Alpharetta and Atlanta OBGYN for your obstetrics and gynecology care.