Hormone replacement therapy for menopause given systematically is something of the past. Today prescriptions are only given in function of the individual need, and of the presence of symptoms. This comes after years of research on the benefits and risks of HRT.

Benefits are often contested and risks have clearly been established. A study published in Women's Health Initiative in 2002 was the earthquake, that shook the way all menapausal women were treated. At that time doctors realizing the risks prescribed HRT much less often and many women had stopped the therapy oftentimes on their own without consulting their doctor.

Since then many studies in the US and in Europe have supported the facts, that doctors should review treatment of menopause symptoms and a decline in HRT has ensued. But there is still a lot or incertitude for women, and a lot of confusing information, what attitude should a menopausal women adopt?

Today hormonal treatments are reserved mostly for women who suffer from climacteric symptoms, that is to say hot flashes, joint pains, vaginal dryness, and so on... They can take medication for a short period of time, usually 4 to 5 years. The ideal prescribed way is estrogen supplement given as a patch or gel to be applied and dispensed through the skin, to this a natural progesterone pill is added. It goes without saying that your doctor is the only qualified person to dispense these medications. But if you are suffering from menopause and your symptoms are problematic, then be assured that there are medications that can relieve your symptoms without the former side effects that they used to have.

A form of HRT, that is carefully employed with the individual women best interest at heart, based on estrogen and progestin or a natural progesterone, has relatively few risks. Women following this therapy had 7 in 10 000 more chances to develop heart disease, 8 in 10 000 more chances of breast cancer or strokes, and 18 in 10 000 more can develop blood clots. Women taking estrogen alone (as in the case of Premarin), have no increase of breast cancer or heart disease, but research done by the WHI found that women who take estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progestin, should have more frequent testing and mammograms. It should be noted that taking a natural progesterone had no increase in breast cancer in women taking it.

Finally if we look at the most recent studies, they show that menopause treatment has only favorable effects when it is given right after menopause and not after 60, as was often the case in the WHI study to prevent aging problems.

Most important to remember is the fact that having regular visits with your doctor is most important, and that there is little difference whether women take hormone replacement therapy or not, when they are followed carefully by a physician.

According to the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists a woman is considered menapausal when she has undergone the complete cessation of her menses for a period of 12 months. This happens in a woman's life in average when she is between 45 and 55 years old, with most women in North America becoming menopausal at 51.

Menopause is almost invariably preceded by a period of transition, called perimenopause, that can last anywhere from 24 to 36 months, and that is manifested by irregular menstrual cycles, with or without hots flashes. During this period some women could also experience sleep difficulties, and changing moods.

Not all women are affected in the same way during menopause, but most women in North America do experience some of the symptoms, while very few will exhibit all the symptoms. In some cultures like Japan almost no women have any symptoms of menopause.