On New Year’s Day 2025, I took my first dose of HT. At first, the biggest change I noticed was that I was getting a regular period again. I felt less bloated around my middle and overall, better in my body. Turns out, these improvements are pretty standard. “[Hormone therapy] is not a youth elixir, but for many women, it restores health, energy, and vibrancy that felt lost. And that’s powerful,” Heather Hirsch, MD, a physician and author of The Perimenopause Survival Guide, tells SELF.
While HT isn’t going to stop the hands of time, Dr. Hirsch does believe it’s one of the most effective therapies available in women’s health. “It is FDA-approved for four indications: hot flashes, night sweats, Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (symptoms like dryness, pain during sex, and urinary issues) and osteopenia, which is a condition of low bone mineral density that can increase the risk of osteoporosis,” she explains.
Hormone therapy may also improve a few menopause-related health concerns, Jessica Shepherd, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn, author of Generation M: Living Well in Perimenopause and Menopause, and chief medical officer at telehealth service Hers, tells SELF. Studies have shown that hormone therapy can help improve heart health, bone health, and muscle mass, ultimately reducing the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, Dr. Shepherd says.
Finding a doctor who specialized in HT was a gamechanger for me.
About four months into using HT, I had breakthrough bleeding. Since the doctor who had prescribed my medications was out on maternity leave, I took it as an opportunity to finally find an ob-gyn who specialized in perimenopause.
My new doctor told me that breakthrough bleeding is typical as the body adjusts to HT. At the time, I was taking oral estrogen and progesterone. She reevaluated my meds and put me on a progesterone-only birth control pill that she said would also help to control my endometriosis. She also suggested switching to the estradiol patch and prescribed me estradiol cream. Finally, I felt like I was receiving medication that was tailored specifically to me, and most importantly, that my doctor was really listening.
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