Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Dosage and Side Effects

The usual dose of estrogen, prescribed by doctors, is 0.625mg of Premarin® (or the equal amount in another type of estrogen product). However, lower doses of estrogen (eg. Premarin® 0.3mg or the equivalent) taken in combination with calcium may offer the same protection against bone loss in older postmenopausal women (i.e. over the age of 65).

Several different estrogen and progesterone products are available (eg. Oral tablets, topical patches, topical gel, combination estrogen and progesterone products, etc.). Premarin® is the only estrogen product from an animal source, while most other estrogen and progesterone products come from plants.

Side Effects

Temporary side effects of HRT may include:

• breast swelling and tenderness
• bloating
• headaches
• mood changes

These side effects usually occur in the first three to six months of therapy, then decrease over time. Changing the estrogen/ progesterone dose, HRT schedule or products used, may reduce these side effects.

Estrogen & Blood Clots

Estrogen may increase the risk of blood clots, although this is a rare side effect. Estrogen should therefore be used with caution for women who are at risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and is NOT recommended for women who have active DVT, known clotting disorders or have had a previous pulmonary embolus.

Women should be advised to stop estrogen 72 hours prior to surgery, or during prolonged periods of bed rest or immobilization. Estrogen may be restarted once the person is mobile, again.

Back to Index