Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) In Menopause

At the conclusion, participants will be able to:

• Discuss symptoms of menopause, including their prevalence and indications for HRT
• Define menopause, perimenopause, and the stage/age in life that women are most susceptible to symptoms
• Describe the hormonal cascade; understanding the glandular origins of hormones and the physiologic impacts that deficiencies may impose
• Review the pathophysiologic changes associated with menopause
• Assess a patient for HRT candidacy, considering risk factors, warnings, comorbidities, side effects, and patient preference in therapy selection
• Consider the proposed “Timing Hypothesis” in initiation or discontinuation of HRT
• Categorize hormonal options into the treatment of vasomotor versus genitourinary symptom management, as well as systemic versus topical therapies
• List hormonal agents in HRT and distinguish between those appropriate for women with intact uteri (combination products) and those for women with hysterectomies (estrogen-only products); recognize the importance of adding a progestogen to an HRT regimen when the patient has an intact uterus
• Identify available formulation types of estrogen-only and combination hormonal products; be able to recommend individualized therapy based on patient preference and lifestyle
• Communicate key counseling points regarding the application of patches and topical gels to a patient
• List nonhormonal medications for the treatment of menopausal symptoms
• Describe custom compounds and why they are not preferred as first-line treatments
• Review landmark studies investigating HRT, findings, and implications in current clinical practice.