Perimenopausal Women, Hormone Therapy, and
Oral Contraceptive Drugs
Perimenopausal Women, Hormone Therapy, and Oral Contraceptive Drugs
The change, as it is euphemistically known, has been a source for the creation of a cornucopia of over the
counter medicines, prescription drugs, folk wisdom derived treatments, and of course a plethora of jokes.
All kidding aside, the sudden realization that a woman is undergoing extreme mood swings, suffers from an
overactive bladder that prevents her from enjoying activities she used to engage in before without a second thought
as to the location of a bathroom, and of course notices the telltale discomfort brought on by hot flushes, all give
credence to the fact that with menopause being in its beginning stages, it is time to take action.
Women of course know to anticipate these symptoms in their mid to late forties and sometimes also early fifties,
but there are other factors that might bring on menopause symptoms earlier.
And endometrial ablation, thyroid disease and also vaginal hysterectomy have all be associated with the sudden
onset of hot flashes, an overactive bladder, and all the other perimenopausal symptoms mentioned previously.
After a visit to the physician�s office confirms that the bodily change is indeed imminent, perimenopausal
women, hormone therapy and oral contraceptive drugs are all suddenly mentioned in the same sentence.
Group the same heights of medications together. Always keep your medications in the original container so that you have the information you need to know about each one. If you have any loose items, use plastic boxes or cups to store these. Drugs and Medicine |
Hormone therapy used to be the drug regimen of choice and was almost an automatic given for any woman entering
menopause yet with the controversy surrounding not only the manufacture of the medicines but also the effects this
drug therapy was known to have had, today the use of such treatments is carefully weighed against the actual
benefits it might offer in each specific case.
In an effort to relieve the most volatile bodily symptoms brought on by the hormonal imbalances that suddenly
occur, more adventurous physicians have begun using oral contraceptive drugs in an effort to once again offer a
steady presence of hormones in the womans body.
On paper the supplementation of hormones via contraceptive drugs makes sense, seeing that plunging progesterone
levels and unstable testosterone and estrogen quantities can be controlled with the help of certain specifically
formulated pills.
Medications that are known to produce allergic reactions are: penicillin, and other antibiotics, sulfa drugs, anticonvulsants, insulin, and barbiturates. Your doctor diagnoses a medication allergy after the occurrence by reviewing the emergency record, or other medical records. Your doctor may also order skin testing to rule out drug allergies before treating you with a medication. If you are diagnosed with a medication allergy, it should be recorded in your medical records and any new doctor should be informed about your medication allergy. Drugs and Medicine |
Add to this the benefit of providing reliable contraception at a time when pregnancy is still quite possible but
only very rarely desired, and physicians were sure to have found a win-win solution to a situation that had women
flocking to their offices.
Of course, on the other side of the equation are the possible side effects associated with the use of oral
contraceptives and even though they are less dangerous than the hormone therapy of old, some women are not as
enthusiastic about using the pill for their perimenopausal symptoms as others.
As a matter of fact, some are quite vociferous in their condemnation of the pill as a viable solution to
menopause induced symptoms sine the discomfort experienced is by far more bearable than the risk of blood clots,
strokes, and heart attacks.
This has caused physicians to reevaluate the efficacy of oral contraceptive drugs in women with a number of risk
factors that do not make them good candidates for this treatment.
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