Hormone therapy or hormone treatment can be used to supplement or replace the body’s own hormones. Hormone therapy is used in various areas of medicine. Depending on various factors, hormone therapy carries risks that can be controlled.
What is hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy is a medical treatment procedure that involves the use of various hormones with medication. Hormone therapy is a medical treatment procedure in the context of which various hormones are used medicinally. Depending on the clinical picture, hormone therapy also involves the use of substances with an anti-hormonal effect. In this way, for example, the production of certain endogenous hormones can be blocked or delayed if this is of medical benefit. Depending on the form of hormone therapy, the nature of hormonal drugs can vary:
For example, hormone therapy may involve the administration of natural hormones or synthetic (artificially produced) hormones. In addition to natural hormones as drugs, there are also so-called nature-identical hormones, which are administered by various representatives of hormone therapy.
Function, effect, and goals
The areas of application of hormone therapy are diverse. Hormone therapy is used, for example, in the medical field of gynecology: for example, female sex hormones are used to treat complaints associated with menopause (also known as the climacteric). During menopause, the estrogen level in the female body drops, among other things, which is why the sex hormone estrogen can be administered as part of hormone therapy if a woman is experiencing severe symptoms. Such hormone therapy is intended to combat symptoms such as brittle nails on the hands and feet or severe dryness of the skin and hair. In addition to the sex hormone estrogen, hormones such as progestin or progesterone can also be used as part of a corresponding hormone therapy. Another form of hormone therapy in the context of gynecology is contraception with the help of the so-called birth control pill. Depending on the product, this medication contains the hormones progestin and estrogen in different compositions. The estrogen contained in the contraceptive pill suppresses ovulation, while the progestin prevents the fertilization of an egg. Another area of application of hormone therapy is in the treatment of thyroid dysfunction: if a patient has an underactive thyroid gland, for example, this often leads to restricted or even absent production of thyroid hormones. Since these hormones play an important role in bodily metabolic processes, among other things, they are supplied to the body as part of hormone therapy. This form of hormone therapy is also called substitution therapy. If the thyroid gland is enlarged in an affected person, for example, the aim of hormone therapy may be to reduce thyroid activity. This form of hormone therapy is then called suppression therapy. Hormone therapy also plays a role in the treatment of various cancers. In this context, one form of hormone therapy is also referred to as anti-hormone therapy: Here, the body’s own hormones are inhibited, which would otherwise promote the growth of certain cancer cells. In many cases, targeted hormone therapy complements chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the fight against cancer.
Risks and dangers
In addition to its benefits, hormone therapy may also carry various risks and dangers. For example, studies have shown that the use of hormone therapy with the female sex hormones estrogen and progestin to combat menopausal symptoms may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Other possible risks of hormone therapy, according to experts, include increased susceptibility to strokes, heart attacks and venous thrombosis.The level of risk associated with hormone therapy depends, among other things, on the duration of treatment, the dose of hormones administered, and also the way in which the hormones are administered:
For example, studies have shown that the risk of thrombosis associated with hormone therapy in menopausal women decreases when hormones are administered through the skin (for example, via patches or creams) rather than using tablets. And the nature of administered sex hormones can also influence the risks of hormone therapy: among other things, the administration of synthetic progestins has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of breast cancer than the administration of natural progesterone.
