Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) with Ryan Roy MD

Q: What is HRT?
A: Hormone replacement therapy is a therapy that we give to women after menopause or after they have had their ovaries surgically removed to replace the hormones that their body would normally make.

Q: What are the different forms of HRT?
A: Hormone replacement therapy comes in various forms including pills, creams, lotions, shots, pellets that are injected underneath the skin, and patches that can be worn on the skin.

Q: Which groups of women should consider HRT?
A: Hormone replacement therapy should be considered by women who are having symptoms of menopause. This may vary from hot flashes to skin and mood changes, as well as other physiological changes.

Q: What are the benefits of HRT? What does HRT treat?
A: The benefits of hormone replacement therapy include the treatment of the symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, and skin changes. There are also benefits to the bone strength and potential other benefits as well.

Q: What are the risks and side effects of HRT?
A: The risks of hormone replacement therapy include causing certain heart conditions in people that are prone to blood clots, as well as aggravating certain cancers for people that are prone to certain cancers.

Q: How long should I take HRT and what dosage should I take?
A: We basically want to use the lowest dosage possible for the shortest amount of time possible. That can vary from woman to woman; it could be as short as one to two months up to five to ten years. That is an individualized decision that must be made between the patient and her doctor.

Q: How does HRT work?
A: Hormone replacement therapy works by supplementing estrogen, sometimes testosterone, and sometimes progesterone back to the woman to treat the symptoms that she has. These hormones that are supplemented back act in a way similar to the hormones her body normally would have produced.

Q: Why would you recommend HRT?
A: There are many options for women that help deal with their menopausal symptoms, and hormone replacement therapy is one of those options. I would discuss with the patient to see if she had any potential reasons that hormone replacement therapy would not be a good option for her, but if it appeared to be a good option for her, we would move forward with finding the right dose and combination of hormones for her.

Q: Why do you have a special interest in hormone therapy?
A: In the daily treatment of women of all ages and walks of life, a lot of women have a tough time dealing with the changes of menopause. Hormone replacement therapy gives me an opportunity to help them in this difficult time in life.