What is HRT?

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment used to help menopause symptoms. It replaces the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which fall to low levels as you approach the menopause. Oestrogen and progesterone are an essential part of period cycles, ovulation and pregnancy. They also keep your bones healthy. As you get older, the loss of these hormones can have a big effect on your body. To replace these hormones, you’ll usually take a combination of oestrogen and progestogen. If you’ve had a hysterectomy to remove your womb you can take oestrogen on its own.

HRT can help to treat Menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, mood swings, anxiety and low mood, vaginal dryness.

Consulting Dr Samina Javaid ensures personalised support and treatment options.

Who can take HRT

You can usually take HRT if you’re having menopause symptoms but HRT may not be suitable if you have a history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer or womb cancer, have a history of blood clots – you may need to use patches or gels rather than tablets, have untreated high blood pressure – your blood pressure will need to be controlled before you can start HRT, have liver disease, are pregnant – it’s still possible to get pregnant while taking HRT, so it’s important to use contraception until 2 years after your last period if you’re under 50, or for 1 year after the age of 50.

If any of these apply to you, alternatives to HRT may be recommended instead.

For more information, please visit the Knowledge Base and the Free Advice and Health Tips pages on our website.