I am on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). I would like to quit it and use an alternative natural product like NeuEve to manage vaginal dryness. Can NeuEve compensate the loss of HRT?
A recent study by scientists at Harvard Unversity provided new evidence indicating that estrogen not only promotes but also directly causes breast cancer. This new discovery further confirms the cancer risk associated with estrogen. Therefore, it is the right decision to wean off HRT.
Hormones have a chain of regulation from the brain to local tissues, especially the female hormone estrogen, which is produced by the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fat cells. Once you are on HRT, the body becomes dependent on supplemented hormones and stops producing the hormones by itself. Stopping HRT abruptly may cause discomfort in many parts of the body as the body needs time to regain the ability to produce hormones.
NeuEve works well in relieving vaginal dryness, but it is not a hormone and thus, cannot overcome withdrawal effects due to sudden stoppage of HRT. When you decide to stop using HRT, please do it gradually, say reducing 1/4 dosage in a week and taking 4 weeks to wean it. NeuEve does not counteract with estrogen. You can combine the use of NeuEve cream and/or suppository along with estrogen during the HRT-weaning period.