Hormone replacement Therapy (HRT)
Choosing the right HRT is an important process involving assessing your needs and the best available medication for you to use. We have trained HRT clinicians who you can book with to consider starting this medication. You can usually begin HRT as soon as you start experiencing menopausal symptoms, once it has been deemed safe to use by a Clinician first. You may need some blood tests which we would discuss with you on an individual basis although these are not always necessary.
Our clinicians can explain the different types of HRT available and help you to choose which one suits you best. You will usually start with a low dose which can be gradually increased over time, and it is important to understand that you may not feel the benefit straight away. It is common to experience some side effects initially which generally settle after the first 3 months of therapy. It is for this reason that we will review you at 3 months to see if it is helping, at which point we can consider changing the type of HRT if its not helping or is giving you side effects, which are troublesome.
HRT is a very effective way of managing symptoms attributable to the menopause but it is not suitable for everyone as there are some associated risks. We would appreciate it if you would conduct your own researcb by using these reliable and evidence based websites prior to discussing your menopausal symptoms with us:-
NHS.co.uk – Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Menopause Matters
Women’s Health Concerns – Help and Advice/Benefits and Risks/Factsheets
Before you start HRT you will be thoroughly assessed and any risk factors you may have will be discussed so that we can provide the safest type and formulation of HRT for you. HRT may not be suitable for you if you:
- have a history of breast cancer/ovarian cancer or womb cancer
- have a history of blood clots
- have untreated high blood pressure – it will need to be controlled prior to commencing HRT
- have active liver disease
- are pregnant – it is still possible to get pregnant whilst taking HRT (it has no contraceptive effect) so you may need to be on contraception until 2 years after your last period if you’re under 50, or for 1 year after the age of 50
In these circumstances, alternatives to HRT may be recommended instead.
You may be experiencing a combination of physical, mental and sexual health symptoms. If you are struggling to cope or feel your HRT medication is not helping you, please contact us to book a review with one of the clinicians.
Once you start HRT it is important that we maintain up to date information about your risk factors to ensure continued safe prescribing, if your situation were to change.
This can be done by simply completing a review form by clicking the link below and emailing it to sxicb-wsx.smcinfo@nhs.net or alternatively collecting a form from reception which can be scanned into your notes. If any concerns were identified from your form we would contact you to discuss these directly.
To access the HRT annual review form please click here:
HRT Review Form (DOCX, 15KB)