I wanted to talk to you about HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), or more recently, it’s been referred to as MHT (Menopause Hormone Therapy).
You might already know that my mission is to help you thrive through menopause with effective lifestyle changes.
At the same time, as a practicing GP, I know that HRT has been life-changing for so many women going through menopause.
Especially now, that we know more about bio-identical hormones. Although those are synthetic, their chemical structure is identical to the hormones that your ovaries make. That makes them a lot safer than the first generation of HRT that was on the market (it was extracted from the urine of pregnant horses, believe it or not!).
And if you’ve been following the recent news in the media on HRT, there have been a lot more benefits attributed to it, including protection from heart disease and reduced risk of dementia.
But does it mean that being on HRT makes you “exempt” from having to make changes to your lifestyle? 🤔
Well, quite the opposite!
Even if you choose to have HRT, it might work for you on its own, if you are really lucky. But from what I’ve seen in my practice, for most women, it is not enough.
Why?
The world we are living in, is very different to what it was decades ago.
The stress levels affecting women and our hormones, are as high as never before…
The toxic load (for example xeno-oestroens from plastics) disrupting natural hormones is unprecedented….
Our sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise is probably at its worst…
So, you have to start making time for yourself and making those lifestyle changes is even more important, whether you choose hormone replacement or not.
Your lifestyle matters more after 40, than it’s ever mattered before.