The final straw might be waking up every night drenched in sweat.
Maybe you’re unable to enjoy a healthy sex life due to vaginal dryness or decreased sexual desire.
Hair loss and decreasing muscle mass could be getting you down. In fact, you can’t remember when you started feeling so depressed. Could it be hormonal?
When your hormones start giving you a hard time, you might look into hormone replacement therapy. But what happens when you want to stop? Keep reading as we explore the side effects of stopping hormone replacement therapy.
What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormones form part of our body’s control center. They’re like little messengers that cause changes to certain bodily functions.
Both men and women will experience mild to moderate changes brought on by hormonal fluctuation with age. These fluctuations cause menopause in women and andropause in men.
As women age and their levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, they’ll start to experience symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, changes in mood, and bodily temperature among other signs.
Decreasing testosterone levels in men might cause depression, decreased libido, and decreased muscle mass.
These symptoms can be mild and pretty manageable. But sometimes they can be unbearable. This is when most people opt for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Hormone replacement therapy involves inserting hormones into the body to balance your body’s levels and make your symptoms more manageable.
Qualified healthcare professionals will assess the severity of your symptoms and decide if HRT is the best way forward. Your treatment plan will depend on your individual circumstances.
What Are the Side Effects of Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy should ideally be used at the smallest dose possible, for no longer than 5 years. Doctors generally agree that you shouldn’t be on HRT if you are older than 59 years of age.
This is due to the increase in the risk of breast cancer and blood clots that come with age. If you’re over the age of 59 or you’ve been on HRT for more than 10 years it might be time to stop.
Luckily, some people won’t experience any side effects at all! Your healthcare professional should help ease you off hormone replacement therapy by lessening your dose and tapering off pills over a long period of time.
However, some side effects are normal. For women, these can include the return of menopausal symptoms such as depression, night sweats and vaginal dryness.
The management of these side effects depends on the individual. Treatments might include other medications to target menopause symptoms directly. You might also explore other ways of coping with the onset of menopause.
Should I Stop Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Although you might experience some side effects of stopping hormone replacement therapy your doctor should be able to help you stop with minimal side effects.
HRT can change your life and might be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. But it’s important to always check with your doctor before making any changes to your treatment plan.
To start inquiring about hormone replacement therapy or numerous other treatments to help you look and feel your best, get in touch today!