Natural female enhancement or hormone replacement therapy? They’re two methods to reduce the effects of menopause and put some semblance of a sex life back in a relationship. They both work and offer hope to women at this transitional moment of the female anatomy. But which is better?
In this article we’ll review why some women pursue hormone replacement therapy, and why natural female enhancement might be a safer option. But first, let’s look at estrogen and progesterone, and the role they play in symptoms of menopause.
Estrogen is produced by the ovaries and plays an important role in the reproductive system. Estrogen thickens the lining of the uterus and prepares it for a fertilized egg. Estrogen also influences how the body uses calcium, maintains healthy cholesterol levels in the blood stream and keeps the vagina healthy.
Less estrogen can trigger menopause symptoms like hot flashes and can lead to osteoporosis. Lack of estrogen is a common reason why women pursue hormone replacement therapy, which supplements estrogen, but can also increase risk of cancer in women who still have their uterus.
Estrogen could not function without progesterone. The two hormones combine in lining the uterus, and progesterone reduces risk of cancer associated with heightened levels of estrogen.
As the description implies, hormone replacement therapy reintroduces these two hormones in menopausal and post-menopausal women. There are two kinds of hormone replacement therapy:
Estrogen therapy – Available as a patch or pill, this involves low doses of estrogen taken each day. Estrogen therapy reduces menopause symptoms and can prevent osteoporosis.
Progesterone/Progestin-Estrogen Hormone Therapy – Sometimes called combination therapy, this combines estrogen with progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone) and can reduce monthly bleeding.
Both treatments are recommended at low doses only and for the minimum time required to reduce symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats and irritability.
While popular, hormone replacement therapy comes with risks including:
- blood clots
- stroke
- monthly bleeding
- liver disease
- head aches and dizziness
What’s worse, studies link hormone replacement therapy to increased risk of endometrial cancer, and a 2006 study published in The Journal of Women’s Health suggests the treatment heightens risk of heart disease.
This brings us to natural female enhancement. That’s an umbrella term for natural products that use botanicals like ginkgo biloba, tribulus terrestris and black cohosh root to stimulate the sex drive, in the form of a pill or a gel.
Shifting hormones are a leading cause of wavering sex drive in women, particularly around menopause, and also contribute to dryness, night sweats and hot flashes.
Natural female enhancement pills are designed to rebalance hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, and might side-step the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy. It’s a case of natural ingredients and ancient wisdom versus medication and synthetic hormones. They’re both proven. But evidence suggests that the former is safer, and just as effective.
What’s more, hormone replacement therapy is a short-term solution to decreased estrogen and progesterone, and is not recommended for women with active or previous breast cancer, history of stroke or liver disease. Female enhancement uses ingredients used for thousands of years by Asian and European cultures, and come with no reported side effects.
In other words, natural female enhancement pills might reduce symptoms of menopause, without the risks of hormone replacement therapy.
This doesn’t mean you should quit hormone replacement therapy without speaking to your doctor. There’s no substitute for a doctor’s approval, and your health is far too important to take lightly.
But it does mean that there might be a safer alternative to hormone replacement therapy, with the same benefits and a lot more sex.
