About Hormones Hormone Replacement Therapy, sometimes called HRT, can help with many of the problems of menopause. But, HRT has good effects and bad effects. So, you should discuss HRT with your doctor to find out if it is right for you. With HRT, two hormones are usually given to women who still have their wombs. They are estrogen and progestin.
Estrogen relieves hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular bleeding, and helps prevent osteoporosis.
So, women who still have their wombs usually also take progestin to protect against this cancer. When you take progestin with estrogen, you have monthly bleeding like a menstrual period, but usually lighter. Often this bleeding gets even lighter over time. Women who have had hysterectomies don't need to take progestin. Besides protecting against osteoporosis, researchers think that estrogen also lowers the risk of heart disease.