The most common symptoms are hot flashes and flushes, sweats, and sleep disturbances. Other changes occur that may produce no recognized symptoms, such as an increased rate of bone loss that may result in osteoporosis. The osteoporosis may, in turn, lead to bone fractures usually after age 70. These symptoms may interfere with a woman's regular activities. Today, this term is used to describe treatment with either estrogen alone or with estrogen and another hormone called progestin.
Hormone therapy goes by various names, depending on the hormones used.
Replacement therapies can be taken in several ways, including orally or through a patch on the skin. The hormones may be taken daily or on only certain days of the month. But, if estrogen helps protect women against heart disease, then it might offer another valuable preventive measure for many women past menopause. Through the years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that estrogen acts on some of the factors that define a woman's risk of heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein carries most of the cholesterol and fat through blood vessels, where it can build up.