Dr. Henry Domke is a Family Physician who has practiced in central Missouri for over two decades. He has always had a strong interest in disease prevention, health maintenance, and patient education. 
In addition to his practice of medicine, Dr. Domke takes Menopause is the natural failure of the ovaries to produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. When this happens many parts of the body undergo changes. There may be hot flashes, thinning of the bones, vaginal dryness, and a lack of energy. The only way to reverse this is to replace the hormones that have suddenly disappeared. That is called hormone replacement therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves taking estrogen alone or estrogen combined with another hormone, progestin. Some women have found that HRT can relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness and some urinary problems. However, HRT is not for everyone. New information from recent studies suggests that for many women, the risks of using HRT may outweigh the benefits.
Dr. Domke suggests taking a careful look at the risks and benefits as they relate to you. Because Estrogen slightly increases the risk of breast cancer, if you have a strong family history of breast cancer you probably don’t want to take HRT. If however you find yourself with horrible hot flashes and you are miserable and can’t sleep, you will want to seriously consider using HRT. This is a complex issue so get as much information as you can and talk with your health care provider. More at FamilyDoctor.org.
This podcast first aired on February 2, 2006.
