Healthcare

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a therapy that most often used in menopausal women to treat the symptoms of hot flashes, including to prevents the risk of osteoporosis.

As postmenopausal women commonly experienced with hot flashes between 30 to 150 times per month, this therapy become popular in this area, despite several pros and cons related to the use of hormone replacement therapy,

As several studies strongly advised that HRT associate with the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke, makes this therapy remain questioned for its benefits.

Meanwhile, the use of Soy extracts supplementation has been increased recently to treat menopausal hot flashes as it also has benefits to reduce the symptoms, although several side effects may attributable to this supplement for HRT treatment, such as nausea, bloating, and constipation.

Also, compared with monthly supply with HRT tablet to treat menopausal symptoms (between $40 and $60), the soy extract need about $12 per month.

However, in term of reducing hot flashes effect, a new study suggest that HRT more better in result than soy extract in menopausal women.

According to the authors of the study that published in Menopause on March 3, 2011, based on their meta-analysis, compared with women who took soy extract that had 12 fewer hot flashes a month, those who took hormones had 24 fewer hot flashes a month.

However, the authors understood that HRT associated with several dangerous diseases risk, and therefore, they suggest that if the women really need take the hormone, then the dose should be at the lowest, and make it as short as possible period of time.

Regarding to the use of HRT for menopausal hot flashes, because the authors seen that some women get better with hormone and others women get better with soy supplement. Therefore, the choosing of which one should be used, depend on how the women experienced with reducing the symptoms, without loss attention to heavier risk between those treatments.