Hormone therapy
What is hormone therapy?
Hormones are naturally produced by different glands in your body and act as messengers to your cells, helping to regulate essential body functions. Sometimes the body can’t produce the right type or level of hormones. Hormone therapy (HT), also known as endocrine therapy, can add, reduce, or block hormones as part of a care plan. It’s commonly used to treat cancer, thyroid conditions, and menopausal symptoms, and for gender-affirming care.
Penn Medicine offers hormone therapy options delivered by specialists in multiple disciplines, including oncology, endocrinology, women’s health, and gender care services. Our experts work collaboratively to develop an individualized treatment plan that meets your needs. From your initial consultation through ongoing care, we’re here to guide you through every stage of treatment to provide safe and effective hormone therapy.
Hormone therapy vs. hormone replacement therapy
Hormone therapy is the umbrella term for treatments that help manage the hormones your body needs. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a specific type of hormone therapy that replaces hormones that your body is unable to produce on its own.
While these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, even by medical professionals, there are differences in how and why they are used.
- Hormone therapy regulates hormone levels by intentionally modifying them to achieve a treatment goal. For example, your doctor may recommend reducing your estrogen hormone levels to treat breast cancer that uses estrogen to fuel the growth of cancer cells (referred to as hormone-dependent cancer).
- Hormone replacement therapy uses medications to deliver hormones that your body can’t make naturally. For example, if your thyroid gland was removed and you can no longer create your own thyroid hormones, thyroid hormone replacement therapy supplies you with the hormones you need. Thyroid, menopause, and gender-affirming care can all involve hormone replacement therapy.
Are you a candidate for hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy plays an important role in a variety of care plans and is commonly used to treat hormone-dependent cancers, conditions of the endocrine system, and reproductive issues affecting all genders. It can also help relieve individual symptoms related to insufficient hormone levels.
Certain cancers grow by feeding on estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone hormones. These hormone-dependent cancers include some breast, ovarian, endometrial (uterine), and prostate cancers. Hormone therapy for cancer involves reducing the levels of these hormones, or blocking them, to control the spread of cancerous cells.
The thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands of the endocrine system sometimes produce inadequate hormone levels. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy treats hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer by supplementing or replacing thyroid hormones that the body lacks. Hypopituitarism and Addison’s disease can also be treated with hormone replacement therapies to supplement hormones that the pituitary or adrenal glands can’t adequately produce.
Menopausal hormone therapy is commonly used to treat symptoms of menopause and perimenopause using estrogen and progesterone hormones. Hormone therapy can also help boost fertility as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.
Andropause, a condition where testosterone hormone levels drop, can be treated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to address sexual, physical, and emotional symptoms that some people assigned male at birth experience as they age.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is included as part of a range of Penn Medicine’s gender-affirming care services. It includes estrogen-based therapy, testosterone-based therapy, and hormone blockers.
Hormone optimization therapy uses hormones to address individual symptoms like muscle loss, low metabolism, night sweats, and fatigue to help your body function at its best. Bioidentical hormone replacement, a plant-based hormone treatment, is often used to relieve these symptoms and promote an optimal hormone balance.
How is hormone therapy administered?
You can receive hormone therapy in a variety of ways, depending on the condition being treated.
This includes:
- Taking pills, capsules, or liquid medications by mouth
- Getting injections in a muscle or under the skin
- Using a patch on the skin or an implant beneath the skin
- Having surgery to remove organs that produce hormones
Your doctor will determine the best course of treatment to deliver hormone therapy safely, along with dosage and frequency requirements. They’ll share instructions to help you prepare for the treatment and understand any possible side effects.
Recovery and follow-up after hormone therapy
Your care team will monitor you closely as you begin hormone therapy treatment. Blood tests are frequently used to measure hormone levels in your blood, and your care team will assess these results and any side effects over time. They’ll fine-tune your dosage and frequency as needed.
Some types of hormone therapy, especially hormone replacement therapy, may be lifelong. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about how your body reacts to your hormone treatments so they can provide additional care to help you feel more comfortable and confident.
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