Pros and Cons of Hormone Therapy:
Making an Informed Decision
GROWING OLDER, GROWING WISER
Confronting a decision about hormone therapy is an important opportunity to take stock, gain new insights and knowledge about ourselves as we age. We benefit from asking: what am I currently doing in my daily life to promote physical and emotional wellbeing? Are there changes I am willing and able to make? If so, how can I realistically achieve these?
Many women in their menopausal years may be working both within and outside the home, dealing with a wide range of demands and stressors, from teens to elderly parents and may not have the time or resources to tend to their own needs. Some women may find themselves alone, widowed or divorced, with children gone. For others, difficult issues from the past, such as abuse, may resurface in midlife and need a process of resolution and healing. Low income, and a lack of control over the circumstances of one's life also contribute to poor health. A wide range of emotions and concerns may be attributed to menopause that have much to do with the nature of a woman's life during these transitions.
Women can benefit by coming together for support and developing strategies for good health. A broad range of organizations and individuals can advocate for ways to create opportunities and the means for women to have healthier lifestyles wherever they live: a decent income, accessible recreation in rural and urban communities, healthy meals that might be prepared through a co-op, respite care for those who are primary caregivers, smoking cessation programs, streets safe for walking, access to reliable information.
Growing older means growing wiser and finding our voices to seek out what is best for our own health and well-being and for the benefit of our families, communities and our society. There are no ready answers. Whatever our decision about hormone therapy, it is what we learn about ourselves and our world that offers challenges and meaning to our lives.
Written by Women's Health Clinic: 1998,
Updated and revised October 2000, May 2002, July 2002
Women's Health Clinic,
419 Graham Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0M3
Phone (204)947-1517 * Voice Mail (204) 947-2422
* FAX (204) 943-3844 * TTY (204) 956-0385
Member Agency of the United Way of Winnipeg
1997 Recipient of "Commonwealth Award of Excellence in Women's Health Practice"
