There are several effective treatments for some of the other symptoms of FXPOI, such as those related to menopause—hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, irritability, and poor concentration.
In many cases, healthcare providers will recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopause symptoms in women with FXPOI. HRT provides the estrogen and other hormones that might be low or missing in women with FXPOI because their ovaries aren’t functioning properly. HRT might help to regulate menstrual cycles, which can make periods more regular, even out hormone levels, and reduce or slow bone loss, a common feature of low estrogen.
Is HRT safe for me to take if I have FXPOI?
HRT for women who have not gone through natural menopause—including women with FXPOI—simply replaces the hormones the body should be making on its own. This HRT is different from the HRT taken by women who are going through or have gone through natural menopause—sometimes called postmenopausal HRT.
Studies show that taking postmenopausal HRT to treat symptoms of menopause, especially for long periods of time, increases the risk of several health conditions. But these findings do not apply to women who have not gone through natural menopause.
Postmenopausal HRT extends the amount of time that a normal level of estrogen is available to the body, but HRT for women with FXPOI actually replaces the hormones that the body would be making if the ovaries were functioning properly.1
If you have questions about the possible benefits and risks of HRT, talk with your healthcare provider.
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