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Natural Hormone Replacement Side Effects

Hormone replacement therapy is often prescribed to women who are having a difficult time going through menopause. Unfortunately, traditional synthetic hormone replacement therapy has a wide range of side effects, and some women opt out of the procedure. However, there is also natural hormone replacement, also known as bio-identical hormone replacement. This, too, has side effects, but not as severe as its synthetic counterpart.

  1. Breasts

    • Those going through natural hormone replacement may experience temporary breast swelling and tenderness. This may be relieved by lowering the hormone dosage. Getting adequate amounts of vitamin B6 may also help.

    Dependence

    • Since the body gets used to the levels of hormones that the replacement provides, dependence may occur if the woman tries to go off of the medication. However, this may also occur with synthetic hormone replacement therapy.

    Depression

    • Natural progesterone in natural hormone replacement may cause symptoms of depression. Reducing the amount of progesterone, or spreading out the use of progesterone over a longer period of time, may help relieve some of the feelings of depression.

    Headaches

    • Headaches may also be caused by natural hormone replacement. This is due to the presence of too much estrogen in the body. Reducing the dosage of estrogen should help prevent further headaches from occurring due to the hormone therapy.

    Vericose Veins

    • Varicose veins may be another side effect of hormone replacement. This is also due to the presence of too much estrogen in the system. Reducing the amount of estrogen should help prevent the problem from getting worse.

    FDA

    • Other side effects may occur due to the unknown nature and contents of natural hormone products. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are many bio-identical hormones on the market that have ingredients that have not been approved by the FDA. This means that there is no guarantee that a product is safe, and no real idea of what side effects may occur by taking it (see Resources).

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