Menopause is a natural stage of life in every woman. However, it does not mean that all women embrace the changes during this challenging time, as menopause is often associated with physical and psychological distress. This article reviews the impact of menopause and how hormone replacement therapy can help women combat the condition.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy: An Approach to Alleviating Menopause Symptoms
Menopause Affects Women in Both Life and Workplace
In a society where productivity is valued above all else, there is little room for people, especially women, to pay attention to their physical and mental well-being. Menopause has always been a part of every woman. However, the time that marks the end of a female’s menstrual cycle has recently become a significant hindrance affecting women in life and the workplace. The other half of the society is climbing on their social ladder to hold the most significant managerial roles; hence awareness of their overall health concerning aging in general and menopause, in particular, has been raised.
Nevertheless, raising awareness of the impact of menopause on women has not shown to be sufficient to ensure women’s productivity and wellness in the workplace. Various menopause symptoms, like hot flashes or night sweats, keep getting in the way, preventing women from maintaining work performance. According to a report entitled “Menopause and the Workplace” by The Fawcett Society, 14 percent of women had reduced their hours at work, another 14 percent had switched to part-time, and 8 percent had declined promotion due to menopause’s effects. These figures do not include the number of women who had quit their jobs because of menopause.
Menopause Is Being Mistreated or Misdiagnosed
As problematic as menopause might be among women, this condition is being mistreated or misdiagnosed with other physiological symptoms.
Many employers are not considering menopause as a trouble that can dramatically reduce women’s productivity. Consequently, actions to tackle menopause and assist women, such as creating a support network or implementing a menopause absence policy, are lacking. On the other hand, since various menopause symptoms share similarities with other conditions, such as anxiety or depression, difficulty sleeping or exhaustion, and joint pain or stiffness, menopause is frequently misdiagnosed, resulting in inappropriate treatment.
The same report shows that 28 percent of women had been wrongly offered antidepressants for low mood, anxiety, or depression due to menopause. Still, only eight percent had refused the prescriptions.
Moreover, many women reported that it took their doctors a lot of time to discover that the debilitating symptoms were due to menopause and not something else. Most importantly, menopause is sometimes viewed as a social stigma, as this condition is not taken seriously in the workplace. Male colleagues do not sympathize with their counterparts due to a lack of knowledge about how detrimental menopause can be.
Women Are Unwilling to Disclose Menopause Symptoms
The social stigma surrounding menopause places women under the shadow, aloof, and out of reach for adequate support. The report above shows that only 22 percent of menopausal women revealed their menopause status at work to their colleagues and managers. This unwillingness to target their problems, combined with doctors’ inability to detect menopause, sadly results in the escalation of discrimination and a vicious circle of women’s suffering. The taboo around menopause even spreads to sick notes. Out of the women who took time off work due to their symptoms, only 30 percent of them listed menopause as the primary reason for their sick notes.
Women Are Afraid or Unaware of Hormone Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or hormone therapy, is a safe, efficient, and sustainable treatment option for alleviating menopause symptoms. This therapy focuses on administering hormones into the female body to compensate for those produced endogenously but at low levels. When it comes to female hormones, many people may think about estrogen. However, hormone replacement therapy allows women to regain their testosterone. This hormone, typically considered a male hormone, also plays a significant role in the female body, including the growth, maintenance, and repair of a female’s reproductive tissues.
Nonetheless, the same report found that the low impact of menopause symptoms was the primary reason women did not seek treatment for their conditions, accounting for 28 percent. In addition, 24 percent said they were concerned about cancer risk due to hormone treatment, while another 24 percent were not well-versed in this option. These figures do not include those women who were not aware of the existence of the therapy.
Regarding cancer, it has been scientifically proven that hormone replacement therapy does not cause breast cancer but instead shows protective effects on cancer. Please refer to the article below to learn more about the treatment.
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Actions to Tackle Menopause Symptoms Are Needed
Over half of the women using hormone replacement therapy, accounting for 54 percent, said it had given their everyday life back. In addition, many women found themselves healthier after the hormonal treatment without any symptoms of menopause, from hot flashes to night sweats to the more physically and mentally damaging ones like anxiety, depression, or even body aches. However, on the flip side, only 14 percent of menopausal women are currently taking the therapy. As a result, actions to not only tackle menopause symptoms but also encourage more women to seek hormone replacement therapy are of absolute necessity.
Suppose you were prescribed non-hormonal therapies, such as antidepressants or exercise to manage your menopause symptoms. In that case, it is about time to seek an alternative that can efficiently and sustainably hold back the difficulties due to this condition.
Yunique Medical is one of the healthcare providers that offers Hormone Replacement Therapy to help those struggling to manage health regain an active and vibrant life. Do not hesitate to seek help, as you are not alone in the journey to a better life. Our personalized hormone therapy can help you feel like your younger self again.
Yunique Medical provides FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE for optimized health and performance. We offer customized, scientifically advanced treatments to create a new state of human thriving. Why be ordinary when you can be optimal?
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