HRT Explained: What Women Need To Know

As new guidelines say doctors should be prepared to sit down and discuss the risks amd benefits of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) with menopausal patients, Sky News takes a look at the facts women need to know.

:: What is HRT?

It is a treatment used to replace the falling levels of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone that go with menopause, says Dr Ellie Cannon, when a woman’s ovaries stop producing an egg every four weeks.

The treatment relieves the symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flushes, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness and bladder problems, and allows the body to function normally again.

:: What is HRT made from?

Some drugs are derived from the urine of pregnant mares, says Dr Cannon, others are synthetic variations of human hormones, with a wide range of tablets, patches, gels and creams.

:: How do you take it?

Tablets are taken orally on a daily basis like the contraceptive pill, says Dr Cannon. A patch that can be stuck on the skin is also available, as well as an oestrogen gel which is absorbed through the skin. Small pellets of oestrogen may also be implanted under the skin of your stomach, bottom or thighs.

::What are the side effects?

Possible side effects include bloating, headaches, nausea, breast tenderness or swelling, depression, indigestion and fluid retention.

:: What are the benefits and risks?

Taking HRT can help relieve and control menopausal symptoms and improve a menopausal woman’s quality of life as a result. It can also cut the risk of developing osteoporosis and cancer of the colon and rectum.

However, combined HRT slightly increases the risk of developing certain cancers - breast, ovarian and womb - and strokes.

Systemic HRT also increases the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and suffering a pulmonary embolism (blockage in the pulmonary artery).