Does hormone therapy delay menopause?
Ask the doctor
My sister’s doctor told her that using hormone therapy delays the onset of menopause. Is that true?But menopause is determined by your ovaries, not by the amount of estrogen and progesterone circulating in your body. Just as taking insulin to combat diabetes doesn’t cure diabetes, taking hormone therapy doesn’t stop or slow the approach of menopause. Regardless, your ovaries will virtually cease to produce estrogen and progesterone and no longer release eggs. This natural process will continue at its own pace despite any pharmaceutical measures.
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About the Author
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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