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Several prescription drugs are available to help relieve menopause-related symptoms and decrease long-term health risks across the menopause transition and beyond.
Various terms and an “alphabet soup” of acronyms are used to describe hormone therapy and they can sometimes be confusing. Here is a brief primer:
- ET means estrogen therapy. Treatment of menopause-related conditions with estrogen was once called estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). However, the term “replacement” is a misnomer because this therapy provides only a fraction of the estrogen once produced by the ovaries; estrogen supplementation is a more accurate description. The FDA now mandates use of the term estrogen therapy (ET).
- EPT means combined estrogen plus progestogen therapy. Estrogen is the hormone in this duo that provides the most symptom relief. Progestogen is added to protect the uterus from estrogen stimulation.
- HT means hormone therapy, technically encompassing both ET and EPT. The FDA, however, refers to EPT as HT. A wide variety of ET and EPT products are government approved in the United States and Canada for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes and vaginal atrophy, symptoms discussed earlier in this guidebook.
If you’d like to read the whole story on hormone therapy, including various regimens for menopause relief and the benefits and risks associated with hormone treatment options, visit this section of the Menopause Guidebook. |