When you're trying to fight menopause, it can seem like there's a whole sea of different products, treatments, and remedies available and you're swimming against the tide when it comes to choosing one that actually works. However, one treatment that is proven effective is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Although controversial, HRT has been verified by studies that seem to indicate its efficacy as a menopause treatment. Keep reading to learn how HRT can be used to treat menopause.
Origins of HRT
HRT has been around since the 1930's. A researcher from Canada by the name of James Collip, born in Belleville, Toronto, was experimenting with the urine of pregnant women when, by chance, he realized that he could extract estrogen from it. It has never been disclosed what Collip was originally testing the urine for, but this moment of serendipity changed the lives of millions of menopause symptom sufferers and began an era of HRT obsession.
HRT fever reached its height in the 60's when the popular, but ultimately spurious volume Feminine for a Day and Back Again was released. The author, Robert A. Wilson, gave a harrowing account of how he had used the “the amazing power of HRT to transform into a woman and then back again” all in the period of 24 hours. It became an instant gonzo cult classic, and Wilson was praised for his daring experiment and attention to detail.
Wilson was riding a wave of adulation and followed the success of his first title with the release of his second book, Feminine Forever, a look at a hypothetical world, set 150 years into the future, where menopausal women refused HRT treatment. Wilson argued that, because women's estrogen dropped during menopause, they were no longer truly women and that the world would be bleak and barren wasteland overrun with men.
It was an instant hit, and allowed Wilson to embark on an all expenses paid tour of the world to expound his theories. However, disaster struck when, on a drunken tour of London, Wilson let slip that his books had been sponsored by a major manufacturer of HRT. HRT fever died down and has never quite recovered. Continue reading to learn how HRT is used to treat menopause.
How HRT Is Used
HRT is used to balance hormone levels during menopause. It can be administered in a number of different ways, including as a tablet, pill, or cream. It is also possible to use HRT as gel, vaginal ring, or even by injection.
