HRT 2
             Hormone replacement therapy (natural and synthetic) restores declining
             hormonal levels associated with menopause. This helps alleviate many
             discomforts associated with menopause and allows the body to continue to
             receive the beneficial effects hormones have against cardiovascular disease, but
             do the risks weigh out the benefits.
             Before understanding the benefits for hormone replacement, it is needed
             to first understand the hormonal changes that occur during menopause.
             Menopause is a natural stage in life that occurs when a woman stops having
             menstrual cycles. However, menopausal symptoms and irregular menstrual
             cycles can begin to occur 5-10 years before menopause as the ovaries gradually
             stop producing eggs and there is a progressive decline in hormone production.
             This time period of change is called pre-menopause.
             When entering the early stages of menopause, the question of hormone
             replacement therapy arises. The two female hormones, estrogen and
             progesterone is certainly the most widely prescribed therapies utilized by
             physicians for the relief of menopausal symptoms and the prevention of certain
             hormone-related conditions of aging.
             Estrogen is not one hormone, but a group of similar hormones of varying
             degrees of activities, all produced in the ovaries. Estrogen is secreted by the
             ovaries throughout a woman's reproductive years and is the female hormone
             responsible for ovulation. Estrogen plays an important role in a woman's life from
             the time she enters puberty until the end of her last menstrual period. Not only
             does estrogen have beneficial effects on cholesterol and lipid levels but it also
             contributes to the strengthening of bones and the mental well-being of women.
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