Senior gynaecologists have expressed concern that older women my often be prescribed antidepressant drugs for depression that is in fact caused by a change in hormone levels and in circumstances when hormone treatment would be more appropriate. Why, then are so many women treated with ant-depressants when they really require hormone treatment? One possible reason for this is a failure by GPs to look beyond the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS/PMT), which is exacerbated by continuing fears surrounding the safety of HRT. However, Professor John Studd points out that the latest medical evidence supports the use of HRT, “There are now many randomised controlled trials showing that transdermal oestrogens in a dose of 200 mcgs twice weekly is an effective way of treating this sort of depression”.
Professor Studd points out that this simple medical adjustment can spare so many women so much misery and has transformed women’s lives. He says that patients are often a casualty of the ‘turf war’ caused by psychiatrists insisting that they know best.
The benefits of modern HRT do not stop there, the hormone adjustment will also:
- Increase bone density and prevent osteoporotic fractures
- Stop hot flushes and sweats
- Treat lack of libido and vaginal dryness
- Protect the spine
- Reduce risk of heart attack
- Improve skin texture
For further information – see HRT 10 reasons to be happy.
The time of a woman’s life when her ovaries stop releasing an egg (ovum) on a monthly cycle, and her periods cease
Full medical glossary
