Menopause Treatment: Everything You Need to Know
glamour.comknows the urgent desperation of finding the right menopause treatment. “Forty to 50 percent of the female lifespan is menopausal,” says Dr. , a board-certified OB-GYN and medical advisor for . “Unfortunately, menopause advice has often been dismissive, belittling, and shaming, leaving women with information based in fear rather than fact.”Much of the confusion and controversy surrounding menopause treatments centers on (sometimes referred to as hormone replacement therapy or HRT).
This was once the predominant treatment for , but a 2002 study linking the therapy to increased risks—including breast cancer and stroke—caused a panic.
Since then, newer research has proven again and again that hormone therapy is a safe menopause treatment for most women and its benefits outweigh small risks. “The leading information about hormones and breast cancer risk has been wrong and out there for over twenty years,” says Dr.
La Folette. “Hormones, especially estrogen, have demonstrated a protective effect against cardiovascular disease, which poses a seven times greater risk to women than breast cancer.”Here's everything you need to know about the leading treatments for menopause, including hormone therapy and non-hormonal options.
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