Herbal Remedies

Many people confuse natural HRT with herbal remedies for menopausal symptoms. Such applications usually fall far short of a solution for most women – ingredients such as Dong Quai or Black Cohosh. Even Wild Yam extract itself is useless until it has had its natural extract (diosgenin) converted to useable forms of hormones, so using Wild Yam extract itself can be completely ineffective.

Prescription Medications

Some antidepressant medications such as Prozac may be effective in relieving hot flushes Dixarit (a migraine medication) may also be useful in relieving hot flushes.

Acupuncture

This technique has been shown to be effective in alleviating menopausal symptoms. However for acupuncture to be effective it needs to be performed at least fortnightly.

Synthetic HRT

Leading experts in the field of bio-identical hormone therapy, Drs John Lee and Jonathan Wright both agree that women need to be clear about the established risks of synthetic HRT. Premarin for example is extracted from the urine of pregnant horses; this is usually kept from intending patients along with the possible side effects.

Dr Wright says 'natural oestrogen and natural progesterone provide all the benefits of the synthetic forms, while there is little risk of endometrial or breast cancer.' He also explains that the 'the word natural is used to refer to the structure of the hormone molecule, not its source.' The source for natural hormones is wild yam or soya bean: the extract is converted to match the hormones found in the human body, ensuring a much safer match than horse hormones.

Dr Wright also reinforces the belief that natural HRT protects women against cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. For most women, using oestrogen means they should also use progesterone – an oversight that originally saw many women suffer unnecessarily. Furthermore, natural progesterone is a long way from the synthetic substitutes known as progestins: natural progesterone gives the same relief as the progestins but without preventing oestrogen’s ability to protect against cardio-vascular disease.

What are the Risks?

As per our mission statement: “To manage patient’s treatment at the lowest possible dose for the shortest course of treatment where benefits should always outweigh any risks.”

The benefit of treatment must always be balanced alongside the risk of any treatment. For every woman this may be different i.e age, heart disease, clots in veins, breast cancer and these will be assessed on an individual basis by your medical team. Managing menopause can be an absolute nightmare to the point where women can become suicidal (which in itself is obviously a very high risk).

Our aim will always be to use treatments that will have minimal risks to you.