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Hormone Therapy During Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the name for the years immediately preceding menopause, when a woman ceases to have her monthly menstrual cycle. Perimenopause can last anywhere from two to 10 years; most women report symptoms beginning in their early 40s. Hormone therapy has been the standard treatment for symptoms of menopause for those over 60 years, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Hormone therapy may also be prescribed during perimenopause. Before utilizing hormone therapy, women should get a clear picture of what the experts say and how it can help.

  1. What Experts Say

    • The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists developed an in-depth, encyclopedic guideline for hormone therapy in 2004, with an accompanying reference for patients. ACOG performed the review after the Women's Health Initiative, an important government-funded research study, found that in many cases, hormone therapy had more risks than benefits. National Institutes of Health researchers found that women on hormone therapy had an increased risk for heart disease and certain types of cancer. However, for perimenopausal women, the expert panel recommended that non-smoking women could use low-dose oral contraceptives or a low-dose estrogen patch to help alleviate symptoms such as mood swings, insomnia and hot flashes, with relatively little risk for heart disease or cancer. The guideline recommends that women talk with their doctors about symptoms, and it urges women to use the lowest dose possible for the shortest period of time needed to treat the symptoms.

    How Hormone Therapy Can Help

    • Because perimenopausal women are still having monthly cycles, their bodies are still producing estrogen and progestin. However, erratic levels of the hormones may pulse through the body as it prepares for menopause. Low doses of estrogen will help alleviate the symptoms of menopause that women may begin to experience years before menopause actually starts by supplementing their bodies' natural levels of estrogen. Experts at the Mayo Clinic claim that the supplemental estrogen in a low-dose oral contraceptive can help regulate monthly cycles that may have become erratic, treat vaginal dryness and reduce hot flashes.

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