How Long Can You Take HRT for Menopause Symptom Relief? The Answer May Surprise You
The benefits go far beyond relief from hot flashes and night sweats
For years, women navigating perimenopause and menopause have received frustratingly mixed messages about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). But now that the latest research overwhelmingly shows it’s safe for your long-term health, the big question is how long can you take HRT? One of the world’s top menopause experts, Mary Claire Haver, MD, is cutting through the confusion with an encouraging message that might surprise you—there’s no mandatory age to stop taking HRT. And the health benefits could last a lifetime.
On a recent episode of the podcast What Matters With Liz, Dr. Haver, a board-certified ob-gyn, Menopause Society-certified practitioner and best-selling author of The New Perimenopause, addresses this top question that women are asking right now about HRT. Keep reading for her clear insight.
Why you were told to fear HRT and why that’s changing
Before we hear the exciting new recommendations, it’s important to review how we got here. HRT is the use of estrogen and progesterone, and in select cases testosterone, to treat common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. For years, doctors told women to avoid HRT based on misguided study findings about potential side effects such as an increased risk of breast cancer. Those flawed conclusions led to fear and confusion about the benefits and risks of HRT.
Woman's World Answers
Thankfully, in recent years, the conversation has improved and doctors have once again encouraged women to use HRT safely to treat symptoms of menopause. In fact, experts are now sharing how staying on HRT longer can have powerful health and longevity benefits.
The ‘sweet spot’ on HRT timing
“The earlier you start [HRT]—the closer to your menopause, at least in that first 10 years and for sure before the age of 60—we know that you’re going to have cardiovascular benefits,” Dr. Haver explains.
That window—the first 10 years after menopause and before age 60—is what Dr. Haver called the “sweet spot” for using HRT and getting the maximum benefits. If you’re in that window, this is a conversation worth having with your doctor sooner rather than later to improve your quality of life.
And even if you’re outside that window, there’s still reason for hope: Dr. Haver emphasizes that bone benefits continue every single day you take HRT, no matter your age. Dr. Haver says many of her patients also report unexpected perks from HRT: “I can’t tell you how many patients are like ‘I didn’t realize that my hip pain was going to get better’.”
How long can you take HRT?
Perhaps the most liberating thing Dr. Haver shared is her answer to a question many women carry quietly: How long can I actually stay on HRT?
One reader wrote into the podcast to ask “How long should a woman be on estrogen and progesterone? I started at 49 in perimenopause. Now I’m 51 and postmenopausal. Should I take MHT a few more years, 10 years, the rest of my life? How do I know when to stop?”
Here’s what Dr. Haver revealed: “As long as you take it, you have the benefits. As long as the benefits outweigh the risks for you personally, you can continue. There is no magical age at which you must stop.”
She notes, “When you stop taking it, your bones will return to the trajectory of bone loss you were on before. The cardiovascular benefit disappears. And your hot flashes may come back, regardless of how old you are. So as long as the benefits outweigh the risks, there is no reason to come off.”
This is the kind of clarity that can transform a conversation with your doctor. Instead of asking, “When do I have to quit?” you can ask, “Do the benefits still outweigh the risks for me?”
Different types of hormone therapy and what they do
If you’re picturing a single pill when you think of HRT, it’s worth knowing that hormone therapy comes in different forms that deliver hormones locally or systemically.
Topical estrogen creams, for example, can be applied to the vaginal skin to relieve genitourinary pain. Wearable HRT patches, on the other hand, deliver hormones to your entire body. This systemic delivery means the hormones circulate throughout your system, addressing widespread symptoms like hot flashes, bone loss, mood changes and sleep disruption.
Understanding the difference matters because your doctor may recommend one form, another or a combination, depending on your specific symptoms and health history.
The surprising range of symptoms HRT can treat
HRT does more than just ease one or two key menopause symptoms. Tamsen Fadal, menopause advocate and author of How To Menopause, agrees with the safety and wide use of what Dr. Haver is talking about. “Literally hundreds of clinical studies have shown HRT is the best treatment there is for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and painful intercourse,” she says.
But Fadal doesn’t stop there. She adds, “Hormone therapy may also help with symptoms that are often not recognized as menopause-related, such as difficulty sleeping, joint pain and mood changes.”
So feel empowered to not only consider taking HRT for symptoms, but to feel safe taking it as long as you need it. You deserve to feel like yourself again. And according to some of the most knowledgeable voices in menopause medicine today, there are real options available and it may not be too late to explore or expand their use.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
