Hormone Restoration Therapy (HRT) for Men and Women: What You Need to Know

Are you thinking of starting hormone restoration therapy? Hormone restoration therapy, also known as Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT – is a hot topic these days. More and more people are turning to HRT to combat the effects of ageing, reduce symptoms of menopause, and keep hormones balanced.

However, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what it is and how it works. For starters, HRT isn’t just reserved for women and menopause. Sure, it can significantly improve menopause symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and more, but this HRT therapy also offer plenty of benefits for men.

In this post, we’ll clear up some of the confusion around HRT and give you the facts, benefits, and risks associated with this type of therapy for both men and women.

What is hormone restoration therapy (HRT)?

Hormonal replacement therapy involves taking synthetic hormones to replace the ones your body no longer produces. As we mentioned, it is often used to alleviate symptoms of menopause, however, it can also be beneficial for conditions like osteoporosis and low libido.

Many symptoms associated with age often come and go, and their intensity can vary for everyone. HRT helps make those symptoms more manageable, for both men and women. Of course, just like any medication, there are always potential risks associated with HRT. The most common side effects include weight gain, headache, and nausea, depending on your treatment. However, these side effects are mild and often go away with time or treatment adjustment.

It’s important to talk to a doctor about the risks and benefits of HRT before starting a treatment in order to make an informed decision about whether or not HRT is right for you. HRT can be implemented through pills, creams, patches, and injections. The type of HRT you will take will depend on your individual needs and preferences.

Hormone restoration therapy for men

HRT isn’t just for women. More and more men are turning to HRT to combat the effects of ageing such as low libido, fatigue, and muscle loss. Testosterone replacement therapy is the most common type of HRT for men. You might know that testosterone plays an essential role in the features that embody “masculinity”. However, just like women go through menopause, men’s natural production of testosterone does decrease with age.

Testosterone HRT can help maintain muscle mass, healthy levels of red blood cells, bone density, and sexual development. The common side effects associated with testosterone HRT can include acne, hair loss, and mood swings. However, these symptoms are often mild and temporary, making this treatment beneficial for men struggling with the ageing process.

Testosterone HRT can be conducted with a gel-cream prescribed by a doctor, which you apply topically each day. You can also use patches or do an intramuscular buttock injection as prescribed by your doctor.

Hormone restoration therapy for women

Menopause comes in 3 stages: perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. Each stage has its own set of symptoms, which can be quite difficult to experience for women. HRT therapy is one of the best ways to make them more manageable.

With perimenopause, your hormones start to decline, making your cycle irregular. This natural imbalance often comes with side effects such as hot flashes, tiredness, and vaginal dryness. In menopause, your body has fully stopped producing enough hormones responsible for your cycle for a period of 12 months – including estrogen and progesterone. When you finally enter post-menopause, your symptoms might settle but because of a lack of hormones, you may be more prone to certain health conditions or unpleasant symptoms.

HRT can assist at every stage of menopause by supporting your body with extra oestrogen, progesterone, or both (or sometimes other hormones too). This hormonal supplementation can help diminish mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, weight gain, and low libido. As we covered, you can take HRT in many ways, and speaking to a specialist about your conditions, symptoms, and treatment preferences is essential before getting started with HRT.

Studies are currently being conducted to assess both the benefits and prevalence of risks of HRT for men and women. To date, HRT has been shown to be an effective solution to help middle-aged men and women transition into the next phase of their hormonal life.