I Am On Hormone Replacement Therapy. Does That Increase My Risk For Developing Heart Disease?

— -- Question: I Am On Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) For My Menopausal Symptoms And Have Heard That HRT Might Put Me At Increased Risk For Heart Disease. What Should I Do?

Answer: If you are on hormone therapy, it's really important that you know why you were put on it. And I run into women who were put on it by their doctors but aren't really sure. So I think it's really important, if you don't know, to talk. Why was I put on it? Was it for symptoms, heart health, bone health? And then answer these questions, because we know a lot about these medications.

Estrogen does increase the risk of blood clots. It increases the risk of stroke. And so what we need to know is, but it's very slight and the younger you are, the less the risk increases. So, when considering hormone therapy, you really have to look at, what are your underlying risks for heart disease? Are your risk factors controlled? Are you exercising? Are you eating a healthy diet? Is your blood pressure controlled? Is your cholesterol, do you know your cholesterol, and is it controlled?

Because all of these things can help you with understanding whether hormone therapy actually puts you at too high a risk to consider taking it, or whether it's a very acceptable risk if you're taking it for symptoms that are important to you.

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