There are three popular treatment plans for menopause. These include hormone replacement therapy, complementary and alternative therapies, and adjunctive therapies.
One of the most common treatments for menopause recommended by doctors is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which uses supplements of estrogen and progestin. These hormones can be taken orally, topically, vaginally, or as patches, creams, or vaginal inserts. Hormonal supplementation for more than five years not only eases menopausal symptoms but also delays osteoporosis, controls cholesterol levels, enhances memory, and guards against heart disease. Other advantages of estrogen therapy include a lower risk of developing some diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, colorectal cancer, insulin resistance, muscular degeneration, and cataracts.
HRT has some associated side-effects in addition to its benefits. Resumption of periods, excessive vaginal bleeding, headaches, nausea, gain in weight, excessive fluid retention, growth of uterine fibroids, and sporadic skin darkening are a few of these symptoms.
But there are a lot of disagreements about estrogen replacement therapy. According to scientific research, a high estrogen intake may increase the risk of serious illnesses like endometrial cancer in women, breast cancer, the development of asthma, deep vein thrombosis, abnormal blood clotting, endometrial hyperplasia, and gall bladder disease.
Alternative therapies can be defined as treatments that still require scientific validation but have received support from numerous witnesses. Natural therapy using herbal extracts of plants like Remifemin, snake root, bugbane, black snake root, and rattleweed is the most widely practiced alternative therapy.
In addition to conventional therapies, adjunctive therapy employs methods that are backed by empirical data.