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The HRT Decision - A Balanced Approach
Women are the keepers of their families' health. In most
families, it's women who care for sick children or aging
parents, women who make the doctors' appointments and see that
they're kept, women who make sure that diets are followed and
that prescriptions are filled. After menopause, though, more
than at any other time in life, women need to be responsible for
their own health. There are so many positive steps that you can
take to make the most of this "second adulthood" and to make
these years of your life the very best that they can be. For
many women, taking estrogen replenishment is one of those steps.
The decision to take therapy or not to take it is best made by
you and your doctor working together as a team. It's a decision
that the two of you make by weighing the benefits of therapy
against the possible drawbacks associated with taking it and the
risks associated with not taking it.
The current medical belief is that, for the great majority of
women, the symptom relief provided by HRT, coupled with the
potentially lifesaving benefits of heart protection and
osteoporosis prevention, far outweigh any potential risk.
Menopause is by no means the beginning of the end. In fact, your
middle and later years have the potential to be the best years
of your life. You can give yourself the opportunity to make the
most of these years by taking the initiative, starting now, to
make sure that you are entering this time of your life in the
best possible health. With good health and the right attitude,
these next years really can be the most vital, rewarding, and
fulfilling years yet.
If you are questioning whether therapy is right for you, or if
you're not feeling quite comfortable on therapy, then by all
means sit down with your doctor and talk about it. As we've said
before, therapy can be tailored so that almost any woman can
feel good taking it. The woman who discontinues therapy without
first fully considering her options may be robbing herself of a
chance to significantly improve the last 30 years of her life.
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