Perimenopause: hormone treatment
For too long, menopause has been a misunderstood and often avoided topic. Many women enter this stage of life feeling unprepared, unsupported, and uncertain about what to expect. For decades, society has reinforced negative stereotypes about menopause, portraying it as a time of decline, loss, and discomfort. Women have been told to "fix" it, "hide" it, or simply endure it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Menopause is a natural and transformative phase of life, one that deserves understanding, care, and respect.
One of the biggest issues we have is that menopause has been medicalised and turned into a disease that needs fixing. Medicine has one the treatment option for menopause and that is, menopause hormone therapy (MHT). Although this is a life saver for so many women, we must see this stage with a more holistic lens. Diet, lifestyle and calming the nervous system are also key in reaching your optimum health. And really, we are at an age where we are more equipped to empower ourselves than any other stage of our life. People’s opinions and perspectives are not as important to us as they used to be … we have more of a sense of self.
So let us empower you further with the first step. This blog will provide an informative look at MHT and in future blogs we will address the other key lifestyle choices that make an impact at this stage of life.
Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT)
MHT has been around for nearly a century and we have become much better at dosage and application route: from oral, transdermal patches, vaginal pessary and gels. However, we do live in a society where our medical profession is not as educated as we would like them to be in this area, and navigating this world can leave many women disempowered and frustrated. So the best bit of advice we can give on this subject is to find a GP that is informed on the topic and has an understanding of bioidentical hormones. Bio-identical hormones are chemically identical to the hormones produced by the human body (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). This structural match allows the body to recognise and metabolise them in a way that mimics natural hormone function. Non-bioidentical hormones, such as synthetic progestins or conjugated equine estrogens (derived from horse urine), have chemical structures that differ from natural human hormones. These differences can sometimes lead to less predictable effects and side effects. Bio-identical are considered safer and more effective due to their natural compatibility with the body.
Below is a list for you to make an informed choice.
Highlighted below in yellow are the body identical hormones to guide you in understanding your prescription.
Name and Ingredients:
Angeliq - Body identical estradiol + progestin drospirenone
Kliovance or Kilogest - Body identical estradiol + progestin norethisterone
Femoston - Body identical estradiol + progestin dydrogesterone
Estalis - Body identical estradiol + progestin norethisterone
Livial or Xyvion- Tibolone
Provera - Progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate
Primolut - Progestin norethisterone
Mirena IUD - Progestin levonorgestrel
Premarin- Conjugated equine estrogens
Estrofem tablet - Body identical estradiol
Progynova tablet - Synthetic estrogen that converts to body identical estradiol
Climara patch - Body identical estradiol
Estradot patch - Body identical estradiol
Estraderm patch - Body identical estradiol
Estrogel gel - Body identical estradiol
Sandrena gel - Body identical estradiol
Vagifem Low - Body identical estradiol
Ovestin pessary - Body identical estriol
Prometrium capsule - Body identical progesterone
Utrogestan capsule - Body identical progesterone
*The above list is taken from the book entitled: Hormone Repair Manual by Lara Briden