Does hormone therapy delay menopause?
Ask the doctor
Q. My sister’s doctor told her that using hormone therapy delays the onset of menopause. Is that true?
A. No, but this is something many women likely wonder about. Hormone therapy — which involves taking estrogen and sometimes progesterone in various forms — is meant to combat the dramatic drop in these hormones surrounding menopause, which occurs after 12 consecutive months without a period. Estrogen loss, in particular, can contribute to bothersome hot flashes and night sweats, which hormone therapy can greatly alleviate.
But menopause is determined by your ovaries, not by the amount of estrogen and progesterone circulating in your body. Just as taking insulin to combat diabetes doesn’t cure diabetes, taking hormone therapy doesn’t stop or slow the approach of menopause. Regardless, your ovaries will virtually cease to produce estrogen and progesterone and no longer release eggs. This natural process will continue at its own pace despite any pharmaceutical measures.
If you have questions about using hormone therapy, speak with your gynecologist about the pros and cons for your individual situation.
Image: © Yulia Reznikov/Getty Images
About the Author
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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