Hormone Replacement Therapy - HRT

Oxford Online Pharmacy Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Service and Information

If you are approaching the menopause and require hormone replacement therapy tablets, Oxford Online Pharmacy provides an online consultation with our GMC registered doctor. Please select your medication and complete the online doctor's questionnaire. Your answers will then be assessed by our doctor and, if approved, a prescription will be issued. If you already have a private or NHS prescription, you can select the prescribed tablets and send your prescription to Oxford Online Pharmacy. Your medication will be dispensed and sent discreetly to you when we have received your prescription.

Introduction & Menopausal Symptoms

HRT tablets replace low levels of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone as you get close to the menopause. The menopause or "change of life" is when a woman stops producing an egg every four weeks. When this happens you stop having periods and will not be able to have babies naturally. The average age in Great Britain is 51, but the menopause can occur in your 30's or 40's.

Oestrogen is the hormone that helps to release eggs from the ovaries. It also controls periods and helps with conception. Lower levels of oestrogen cause most symptoms associated with the menopause as follows:-

* Vaginal dryness

*Night sweating

* Hot flushes

* Less sex drive

* Bone thinning

* Incontinence, when you cough or sneeze

Symptoms normally pass in two to five years, but vaginal dryness may get worse if not treated.

Progesterone is normally used in combination with oestrogen as part of HRT to reduce the risk of womb cancer. The hormone progesterone helps to prepare the womb for pregnancy. You do not need progesterone and can take oestrogen-only HRT tablets if you have had a hysterectomy.

Treatment

There are a number of treatments for HRT including tablets, patches, oestrogen gel and an implant.

You should be able to stop taking hormone replacement therapy after your menopausal symptoms end, which typically is after two to five years. You should gradually reduce the dose and may have a recurrence of symptoms, but this should stop in a few months.

There are benefits and risks associated with HRT, but most experts conclude that the benefits outweigh the risks when HRT is used for no more than five years.

Authored by Stuart Gale, on 5 January 2017. Reviewed by Robert Bradshaw, on 14 December 2018.