Hormone Replacement Therapy / Hormone Corrective Therapy

The word Hormone Replacement or Hormone substitution is wrong for most hormone treatments. Hormone replacement means replacing the existing (endogenous) hormone produced by the human body itself by the hormones that come from the outside.

One example of hormone replacement is the use of the birth control pill. The pill blocks the internal sex hormone production by the ovaries and replaces these hormones with synthetic estrogens and progestogens that are different from the natural ones.

Another example of the hormone replacement is when the body does not produce a hormone and so the patient is given hormone treatment. Complete shortages are found after total removal by surgery or total extinction of endocrine glands such as is the case for the ovaries with menopause.

Most hormone therapies add hormones in addition to the body's own hormones to reach an optimal level. There is certain degree of the suppression and thus replacement, but on average only 10 - 40 % of the natural hormone production is suppressed and the suppression is temporary.

Therefore, the term "corrective" is better way to describe most hormone therapies as it includes both hormone replacement and non - replacement therapies.

What are the conditions where Hormone Replacement / Corrective therapy can be beneficial?

Hormone therapy is beneficial in all the cases where there is well documented evidence of deficiency like

Menopause, Andropause, Hypogonadism in both sexes, Premature Aging, Diabetes Mellitus, PCOD, Hypothyroidism, Female Sexual Dysfunction, Somatopause, Skin problems, Infertility, Adrenal Fatigue, Low libido, Menstrual problems, Hirsutism, Malignancies (Prostrate, Colon etc.)

There are other medical, Surgical and Gynecological conditions where Hormone therapy can be therapeutic and/or supportive. Some of the conditions are listed below

Obesity, Alopecia (Baldness), Depression, Anxiety, Sleep Disorders, Jet Lag, Small Breasts, Gynecomastia, Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's Disease (preventive), Multiple Sclerosis, Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections, Acne, Memory and Attention disorders, Cachexia, Osteoporosis, Large Breasts, Benign Prostrate Hypertrophy, Restless Leg Syndrome, Recurrent Vaginal Infections, Fibromyalgia, Hypertension, Chronic Fatigue, Ischemic Heart Disease, Autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, Multiple Sclerosis etc.

To know more about Hormone Corrective Therapy