Menopausal Hormone Therapy (HT): Care Instructions
Overview
Menopausal hormone therapy (also called MHT or HT) is medicine to treat menopause
symptoms. HT is the most effective therapy for managing symptoms like hot flashes, night
sweats, and vaginal dryness. It also offers benefits for your bones, mood, sleep, joints, and
overall quality of life.
HT may contain one or both of the hormones estrogen and a progestogen. Estrogen comes as a pill, gel, or patch. Progestogens come as a pill or may be given through a device inserted into the uterus. There are also many treatments for vaginal dryness that may come as a lubricant, moisturizer, or low-dose vaginal estrogen (tablet, cream, insert, or vaginal ring).
Like all medicines, HT has some risks. But for many people, the benefits of taking HT outweigh the risks. Talk with your doctor about whether HT is right for you. And talk to your doctor about having regular checkups while you are taking HT.
Why might you take HT?
HT is effective at treating symptoms of menopause. These include hot flashes, sleep problems, mood symptoms, and vaginal dryness. HT can also help slow bone loss that happens after menopause.
Treatment with low-dose vaginal HT may also help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other urinary symptoms.
What are the risks of taking HT?
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If you are healthy and younger than age 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the risks of HT are low.
However, depending on your personal health history, HT may slightly increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, or breast cancer—especially with long-term use or starting HT later in life.
It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits and to see if HT is right for you.
- Health history.
HT may not be recommended for you if you:
- Are or could be pregnant.
- Have a personal history of blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
- Have had a heart attack or stroke.
- Have unexplained vaginal bleeding.
- Have active liver disease.
- Have a history of breast or endometrial cancer.
You may still be able to have HT in certain situations. For example, low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy might be right for specific symptoms, especially if other treatments haven’t worked. Talk with your healthcare provider and cancer team to make these decisions together.
- The type of HT.
- Low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy, such as a cream, tablet, insert, or ring. This therapy stays local to the vaginal area. It has very low risk, so you usually do not need a progestogen, even if you have a uterus.
- Systemic hormone therapy, like pills, patches, or gels. These treatments travel through the bloodstream to treat whole-body symptoms, such as hot flashes and sleep issues.
If you do not have a uterus, estrogen alone is typically used. If you have a uterus, progestogen is added to protect the uterine lining and lower the risk of cancer.
Where can you learn more?
Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd
Enter V552 in the search box to learn more about "Menopausal Hormone Therapy (HT): Care Instructions".
Adaptation Date: 09/15/2025
Adapted By: Alberta Health Services
Adaptation Reviewed By: Alberta Health Services
