Facts About Angeliq - Are There Alternatives to Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Beth Marshall answers select questions from readers.
Question: I am a 45 year old woman with 4 kids and I’ve been experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and weight gain for the past year. My doctor has recommended hormone replacement therapy, more specifically a product called Angeliq I’ve heard there are serious health concerns with prescription hormone replacement therapy. Do you think Angeliq is safe? Is there serious health risks associated with Angeliq?

Answer: The occurrence of menopause is a natural process in a woman’s life and may be different for each woman. Symptoms can vary from minor or no symptoms, to moderately severe symptoms that interfere with daily life. Menopausal symptoms occur when a decrease in estrogen production leading to hot flashes, night sweats, decreased libido, vaginal dryness, mood swings, insomnia, and weight gain to name a few. HRT had been prescribed for menopausal women for many years and was thought to be a very safe treatment for menopausal women. However, in recent years, serious health concerns have been raised regarding the safety of HRT. A long term clinical study of oral conjugated equine estrogens in postmenopausal women reported increased risks of cardiovascular events including, heart attack and stroke, as well as blood clots and increased risk of breast cancer at certain doses. Additionally, some other possible side effects of Angeliq include headache, breast pain, irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting, stomach/abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and vomiting, or hair loss.

With all of the different menopausal symptom relief products available on the market, there are quite a few that are effective. However, you must remember to follow all the guidelines that come with the product in order to achieve maximum results. If you do shop for a menopausal symptom relief product in a health store, pharmacy or on the Internet, you'll often find hundreds of different brands containing a confusing array of ingredients. You may be tempted to experiment with different products until you find one that works. But this approach may be expensive. More importantly, not all products contain the quality and/or quantity of necessary ingredients to effectively minimize menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. That's why you'll need to do a little bit of research to find the best, most potent brand for your needs.

Joan Raynor, our health and nutrition expert did a fantastic review on controlling menopausal symptoms and how actual effectiveness is crucial in diminishing symptoms of menopause, the results are quite surprising.

Click Here To Read Her Full Review.