Hormone therapy (HT) is a treatment for the relief of perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms that include hot flashes, vaginal dryness and night sweats.
Test results can help your provider decide whether hormone therapy is right for you:
- Blood tests can measure hormone levels
- Blood cholesterol tests can help assess your risk of heart disease
- A bone density scan may help show if you have osteoporosis
- A mammogram may be done to check for breast cancer
- Thyroid function tests can show problems with the thyroid hormone
- HT types include estrogen-only (for women without a uterus due to hysterectomy) and estrogen plus progestin (this protects women with a uterus from endometrial cancer).
Systemic forms of HT circulate throughout the bloodstream (pills, patches, sprays and gels); non-systemic forms affect a specific area of the body only (cream, tablet or vaginal ring).
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