Hormone Therapy: Uses, Benefits, and Side Effects

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How are hormones used to treat cancer?

Different types of hormones are made by different organs or glands. Some cancers depend on hormones to grow. Because of this, treatments that block or alter hormones can sometimes help slow or stop the growth of these cancers. Treating cancer with hormones is called hormone therapy, hormonal therapy, or endocrine therapy.

What is hormone therapy used for?

Hormone therapy is used for two main reasons. Treat cancer. Hormone therapy can stop or slow cancer's growth and reduce the chance it will return. Ease cancer symptoms. Hormone therapy may be used to reduce or prevent symptoms in men with prostate cancer who are not able to have surgery or radiation therapy.

What are the side effects of hormone therapy?

Because hormone therapy blocks your body’s ability to produce hormones or interferes with how hormones behave, it can cause unwanted side effects. The side effects you have will depend on the type of hormone therapy you receive and how your body responds to it.

What is hormone replacement therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy is medication that contains female hormones. You take the medication to replace the estrogen that your body stops making during menopause. Hormone therapy is most often used to treat common menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal discomfort.

What is hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment used to help menopause symptoms. It replaces the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which fall to low levels as you approach the menopause. Menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. It usually affects women between the ages of 45 and 55 but it can happen earlier.

How does hormone therapy work in menopause?

You take the medication to replace the estrogen that your body stops making during menopause. Hormone therapy is most often used to treat common menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal discomfort. Hormone therapy has also been proved to prevent bone loss and reduce fracture in postmenopausal women.

How does hormone therapy work?

Hormones travel through the bloodstream sending messages to tissues or organs. Some people require medications that increase or decrease hormone levels to treat certain diseases and medical conditions. This type of treatment is called hormone therapy (HT). This article discusses hormone therapy's uses, benefits, and risks. What Is Hormone Therapy?

What Is Hormone Therapy

1. https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/hormone-therapy/what-hormone-therapy
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/in-depth/hormone-therapy/ART-20046372
3. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/hormone-therapy
4. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/
5. https://www.verywellhealth.com/hormone-therapy-5224273
6. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/hormone-therapy
7. https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/hormonal-therapies
8. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/hormone-therapy.html

Hormone Therapy Information

1. https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/womens-health/hrt
2. https://www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/browse-our-patient-information/treatment-for-symptoms-of-the-menopause/
3. https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt
4. https://www.nhsinform.scot/tests-and-treatments/medicines-and-medical-aids/types-of-medicine/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt