Here are the benefits outlined by the Mayo Clinic for Hormone Therapy:
The benefits of hormone therapy depend, in part, on whether you take systemic hormone therapy or low-dose vaginal preparations of estrogen.
- Systemic hormone therapy. Systemic estrogen — which comes in pill, skin patch, gel, cream, or spray form — remains the most effective treatment for relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. Estrogen can also ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning, and discomfort with intercourse. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still approves estrogen for the prevention of the bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis, doctors usually recommend medications called bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis.
- Low-dose vaginal products. Low-dose vaginal preparations of estrogen — which come in cream, tablet, or ring form — can effectively treat vaginal symptoms and some urinary symptoms, while minimizing absorption into the body. Low-dose vaginal preparations do not help with hot flashes, night sweats, or protection against osteoporosis.
Long-term systemic hormone therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal conditions is no longer routinely recommended. But some data suggest that estrogen can decrease the risk of heart disease when taken early in postmenopausal years:
- In a recent Danish study, after 10 years of treatment, women receiving hormone replacement therapy early after menopause had a significantly reduced risk of mortality, heart failure, or heart attack, without any apparent increase in the risk of cancer or stroke.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hormone-therapy/WO00046
