What is hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy, sometimes referred to as hormonal therapy, is any form of treatment that uses hormones or, on the other hand, hormone antagonists to reduce the body’s natural production of hormones (also known as antihormone therapy).
For treatment, you ought to consult an endocrinologist.
Why would you have hormone therapy?
There are a number of applications of hormone therapy. Among the most common are:
- Hormonal therapy for cancer
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Growth hormone therapy for growth hormone deficiency
- Thyroid hormone replacement to treat hypothyroidism
- Antithyroid therapy to treat hyperthyroidism
What does hormone therapy involve?
Steroids, which can stop some cancers from growing or even kill the cancerous cells, are frequently used in hormone therapy for cancer. Antihormone therapy is one treatment option that may be used to stop the production or activity of hormones that could be promoting the growth of cancer. The type of cancer has a major influence. Here are a few typical examples:
- Breast cancer
- Oestrogen-deprivation therapy targets oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. There are a number of possible hormone therapies, including tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors (for post-menopausal women), and LH blockers (for pre-menopausal women).
- High-dose oestrogen therapy has also been used to treat breast cancer.
- Prostate cancer – anti-androgen therapy blocks testosterone from stimulating cancerous cells to grow.
HRT is most commonly associated with treating the menopause, but there are actually several varieties:
- Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) – treats the symptoms of the menopause
- Androgen replacement therapy (ART) – treats men with low testosterone levels
- Transgender hormone therapy – helps transgender people transition to a body they feel more comfortable in. Transgender women take female hormones to make their bodies more feminine, while transgender men take male hormones to become more masculine.
Hormones may be taken in a number of different ways, depending on the case and/or preference. Pills, patches and suppositories are all common methods.
Is hormone therapy safe?
This question has no straightforward yes-or-no response. Although the side effects of various hormone therapies can vary, the advantages typically exceed the risks. Although early research, including the well-known Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomised control trial in 2002, indicated that HRT significantly raised women’s risk of breast cancer, current opinion holds that the increased risk is negligible. Actually, some research suggests that oestrogen therapy improves the patient’s memory and other characteristics.
Hot flashes, sweating, fatigue, impotence, breast tenderness, weight gain, and mood swings are all potential side effects of testosterone antagonists used to treat prostate cancer.
Hormone therapy may cause nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, and changes in appetite in women.
Menopausal symptoms include mood swings, weight gain, headaches, hair thinning, and changes in bone and muscle.
Although side effects typically go away in a few weeks or even months, each case is unique in terms of the side effects that appear and how long they last.