Hormonal Replacement Therapy essays

Hormonal Replacement Therapy essays HRT 2 Hormone replacement therapy (natural and synthetic) restores declining hormonal levels associated with menopause. This helps alleviate many discomforts associated with menopause and allows the body to continue to receive the beneficial effects hormones have against cardiovascular disease, but do the risks weigh out the benefits. Before understanding the benefits for hormone replacement, it is needed to first understand the hormonal changes that occur during menopause. Menopause is a natural stage in life that occurs when a woman stops having menstrual cycles. However, menopausal symptoms and irregular menstrual cycles can begin to occur 5-10 years before menopause as the ovaries gradually stop producing eggs and there is a progressive decline in hormone production. This time period of change is called pre-menopause. When entering the early stages of menopause, the question of hormone replacement therapy arises. The two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone is certainly the most widely prescribed therapies utilized by physicians for the relief of menopausal symptoms and the prevention of certain hormone-related conditions of aging. Estrogen is not one hormone, but a group of similar hormones of varying degrees of activities, all produced in the ovaries. Estrogen is secreted by the ovaries throughout a womans reproductive years and is the female hormone responsible for ovulation. Estrogen plays an important role in a womans life from the time she enters puberty until the end of her last menstrual period. Not only does estrogen have beneficial effects on cholesterol and lipid levels but it also contributes to the strengthening of bones and the mental well-being of women. ...