What happens when you go off hormone replacement therapy?

People may want to stop taking HRT if: If people decide to stop taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), they should reduce their dosage gradually. Stopping taking it abruptly can cause menopausal symptoms to return, such as hot flashes and sleep interruption. If you stop hormone therapy abruptly, your hormone levels will drop from high to low in a short time. As a result, your body may enter “nocturnal menopause” and bothersome symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep disorders, and mood changes, can quickly reappear, disrupting your daily life.

Therefore, if you are thinking about stopping hormone therapy, always consult your healthcare provider. Gradually reducing HRT under the supervision of your GP will give your body more time to adapt and minimize the intensity of rebound symptoms. It's common to have some vaginal bleeding after stopping hormone therapy, as the body adjusts to new hormone levels. However, all HRT does is replenish female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which naturally decline during menopause.

This form of hormone therapy combines doses of estrogen and progesterone (also called progestin, which is the name for all the hormones that act like progesterone, including synthetic hormones).

Age, family medical history, personal medical history, and the severity of symptoms can affect your decision to take hormone therapy.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps treat menopausal symptoms, such as vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Combined hormone therapy may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, but most studies show that the increase is small (less than 1 in 1000). It's important to make the decision to take hormone therapy after talking to your healthcare provider.

If you're considering hormone therapy, it's important to learn everything you can from your healthcare provider. If you have menopausal symptoms that are affecting your quality of life, you may wonder if hormone therapy is an option for you. People may decide to stop hormone replacement therapy after taking the medication for a certain period of time, once they reach a certain age, or once menopausal symptoms start to go away. You should discuss the risks and benefits of hormone therapy with your provider to determine if it's right for you.

Compound hormones aren't well studied and healthcare providers aren't sure about their long-term effects. Hormone therapy (HT) is a broader term, meaning it can be applied to any type of treatment that involves hormones. On the other hand, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) generally means that hormones are replacing natural hormones that the body no longer produces, especially for people in their 30s and 40s.