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Alessandra is the Co-Founder and CEO of Elektra Health. Elektra Health is on a mission to smash the menopause taboo by empowering women with evidence-based menopause education, care & community.
About the Author
Alessandra is the Co-Founder and CEO of Elektra Health. Elektra Health is on a mission to smash the menopause taboo by empowering women with evidence-based menopause education, care & community.
Hormones are the movers and shakers that keep your body in delicate balance. They are involved in almost every cell and function in our body. So it’s no wonder that as your body’s estrogen level begins to decline in the years leading up to and after the menopause transition, your vaginal and urinary health may also be impacted.
Doctors use an umbrella term for these symptoms: GSM, or genitourinary symptoms of menopause. What exactly is GSM? It can be vaginal and vulvar dryness, pain during sex, incontinence, increased UTIs, and more.
If this describes you, you’re not alone. GSM is thought to occur in an estimated 65% of women in the first year after menopause, and up to 85% of women six years after.
The good news: there are many interventions to help women manage vaginal symptoms. Here we’re focusing on one of the most effective but also most misunderstood interventions: hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
For example, did you know that only 4-7% of women use vaginal estrogen to treat GSM, even though it’s been clinically proven to be safe for the majority of women?
HRT involves taking a supplemental form of either estrogen, or estrogen and progesterone together, to balance out and replace what the body is no longer producing. HRT is prescribed to women to treat moderate to severe symptoms of menopause. There are 10+ types of HRT and different forms of administration, including pills, patches, creams, and more.
We know HRT can be an incredibly confusing topic – that’s why we created the Elektra Guide to Hormone Replacement Therapy. Built by experts and reviewed by top researchers in the space, this guide offers a comprehensive overview of the top terms, resources and studies to know about HRT to stay informed of your options and take charge of your symptoms today.
Click here to read Elektra Health’s Guide to Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Interested in going deeper with an expert? Use code UQORA20 for 20% off your next visit with an Elektra Health menopause expert!
Dysfunctional voiding means a person does not empty their bladder normally.
Changes in hormones can also lead to cyclical changes in the vaginal microbiome.