How Long Can A Woman Stay On Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Most women take as little time as possible with hormone therapy—and at the lowest dosage. There is proof that after 5 years of use, significant health threats such as blood clots, breast cancer, and stroke are growing. It can help decide whether or not you are taking hormone replacement therapy if you have a personal or family history of these or other health risks.

So How Long You Can Take HRT?

Experts recommend that menopausal women only take HRT if there is a significant problem with their symptoms. Most women will take HRT for up to five years in this category.

Many who undergo surgical removal of their ovaries or have medication that causes their ovaries to stop releasing estrogen are other women that will need to take HRT. Both circumstances can throw a woman, no matter how young she is, into sudden menopause. And the menopausal symptoms can be serious since ovarian hormones stop circulating too abruptly. It is usually taken longer by younger women who take HRT due to sudden menopause than by women who take HRT after normal menopause. Most women will take HRT in this category before they normally expect to reach menopause, which is approximately 52 years of age.

While HRT can be very successful, some serious side effects and health consequences are at risk. To help relieve the effects, doses should be as minimal as possible, and then taken for the shortest period of time. This could be for a few months for some women, years for others.

You may be hesitant to stop taking HRT if you are taking HRT for severe menopausal symptoms, for fear the symptoms will return. It is valid this concern. The symptoms do return for some women, but you might have some control over what happens by stopping HRT.

Easing Off Hormone Replacement Therapy

The majority of doctors say that people who have taken HRT for menopausal symptoms should not stop immediately, but do so gradually. You and your provider will be able to gradually reduce the level, either by dosage alone or by reducing the dose and taking it less often. The transition from pills to a patch is another way to reduce the HRT dose slowly.

There are no clear recommendations for how to decrease the dosage of estrogen, but one recommendation is to reduce it every two weeks by around 10 percent. Your healthcare provider might recommend that you remain at a slightly higher dose for a little longer, then start lowering it again if you experience menopausal symptoms when tapering off. Progesterone, such as estrogen, does not need to be tapered off, so your doctor will advise you on the right way for your case.

For females older than 60, HRT is not recommended, but this also depends on the person. Your doctor may agree to continue with the medication if you have been taking HRT for a while and are not ready to quit.