Meds for menopause? Science (again) says benefits outweight risks for most
Look, we’re all friends here, so I’m going to admit a bias to you off the bat: I don’t like to suffer, and I believe in medical science.
I bet most of you don’t actually like to suffer either. There are rumors that some women sail through perimenopause. Certainly, some women don’t have the soul crushing symptoms others experience — still, it’s surprising to me how many people are willing to just accept the weirdness and misery that hormonal fluctuation brings. “I’ll just deal with it,” they say.
Real talk, you could be dealing with it for 10 years. Or not. According to a newly released follow up to the Women’s Health Initiative study that was the cause of our mothers being denied hormonal therapy, hormone replacement is safe and effective for most women. Yep: Safe. Effective. Those are words I like to read. The findings were published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, so you know they’re not fringe.
Here’s the main point you need to know:
‘Women in early menopause with bothersome symptoms should not be afraid to take hormone therapy to treat them, and clinicians should not be afraid to prescribe them,’ said JoAnn Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the paper’s first author.
It’s true that most women doesn’t mean all women. There are definitely people for whom HRT is not a fit. But for a lot of people, it is. More importantly, for a lot of people who aren’t taking it but are suffering the sweaty, moody, saggy sting of the peri period, HRT might be a pathway to feeling a lot more comfortable.
There’s a story I’ll tell another time about my journey to find out whether, as the daughter of a 2x breast cancer survivor, I’d be able to take HRT. (Short answer after a long process: Yes) Suffice it to say, I’m sensitive to the reasons someone may not think they’re a candidate. But if you think you might be, and you’re suffering, it’s worth exploring your options with a clinician.
And if you’re a women for whom hormone replacement isn’t an option? Just know that there are FDA-approved medications, including some antidepressants in very low doses, to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Next stop: Your doc.
Comment to let me know what you think of menopause and about your experience with them.
