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The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted menopause care for many women as clinics have closed for all but the most necessary of procedures and appointments. However, if you are taking hormone replacement therapy, you should make an extra effort to ensure that you don’t run out of your HRT prescriptions. If you are having trouble getting HRT during this time, we can assist you through telemedicine. Here are some reasons you should not stop HRT abruptly.
HRT Benefits
There are many benefits of HRT that you will lose if you stop hormone therapy cold turkey. Hormone replacement therapy can decrease or eliminate menopause symptoms such as:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Mood changes
- Sleep problems
- Vaginal dryness and discomfort
These symptoms can occur for years after you hit menopause. Post-menopausal women will continue to have these symptoms, especially if they stop HRT.
Stopping HRT Cold Turkey
If you stop HRT cold turkey without tapering off, it can cause a host of problems. First, studies show that abruptly stopping HRT can bring a return of menopause symptoms that could be much worse than before the treatment. Stopping cold turkey can also cause high blood pressure, simply because HRT lowers blood pressure and dependency on blood pressure control medications.
Women should not take HRT any longer than necessary due to the risk of breast cancer. However, doctors prefer that women are tapered off and gradually stopping hormone therapy. The gradual decrease in HRT may bring back symptoms, but they will not be as severe.
If you are running out of your HRT medications due to the pandemic, it is important to keep therapy going unless you have a doctor gradually decreasing your dose. Do not allow yourself to stop treatment suddenly if at all possible. We can help by providing telemedicine appointments during which we can prescribe HRT as appropriate. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an appointment.