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I’m Dr. Marlan Schwartz, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and I have been in private practice for 15 years. As many of my patients approach menopause, they often ask me about hormone therapy. I will share with you, as I do with my patients, some important information related to hormone therapy, like how well it works, what doses may be appropriate, and how soon you might feel relief.

And even though many of your questions might be answered here, it's always a good idea to talk to your own doctor about symptoms you may be experiencing.

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You enter menopause when your ovaries stop producing the hormone estrogen. This can occur either naturally or surgically. Because of this, you may begin to have symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.

Fortunately, there are options to help you treat these symptoms. One of the most effective FDA–approved options for treating menopausal symptoms is hormone therapy. It has been proven to help relieve moderate to severe menopausal symptoms by providing you with the estrogen your ovaries no longer produce on their own. And, as an added benefit, it helps protect against bone loss that can lead to postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Learn more about hormone therapy:

• Is hormone therapy an option?
• What are the most common ways to take hormone therapy?

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If you are experiencing moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, you should ask your doctor if hormone therapy makes sense for you. There are two types of hormone therapy. First, there’s estrogen–plus–progestin therapy. Estrogen helps relieve your menopausal symptoms, and the progestin helps protect the uterus.

The other is estrogen-alone therapy for women who have had their uterus removed during a hysterectomy–and do not need the progestin. And the good news is that both types of therapy also help protect your bones.

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There are a number of ways to take hormone therapy. To treat symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, your doctor will likely prescribe a pill. Although the pill is the most commonly prescribed form, a patch applied to the skin can treat those symptoms as well. Now, if you're only bothered by vaginal symptoms, like dryness, itching, and burning, your doctor can prescribe a cream that can be applied directly to your vagina.