NAMS HRT stands for North American Menopause Society Hormone Replacement Therapy. It refers to a set of treatment recommendations for managing menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis through hormone therapy published by NAMS based on the latest scientific evidence.
The North American Menopause Society is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting women's health during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause and healthy aging. NAMS issues Position Statements every few years that provide evidence-based guidance to healthcare providers and women on various menopause-related topics like hormone therapy, based on thorough review of all existing research.
Some key points about NAMS HRT recommendations:
- They are meant to provide clinicians with flexible guidelines rather than strict rules for hormone therapy. The choice of treatment needs to be individualized for each woman based on her risk-benefit profile.
- NAMS recommends hormone therapy as the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats that interfere with daily life activities. Estrogen therapy alone or estrogen plus progestogen therapy can be used, with the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible.
- For treating moderate to severe genitourinary syndrome of menopause symptoms like vaginal dryness and pain with sexual activity, topical vaginal estrogen is recommended over systemic therapy due to better risk-benefit profile.
- Hormone therapy continues to be the best agent for preventing bone loss and fractures in women at high risk for osteoporosis during the menopause transition and early postmenopause. Treatment should be individualized based on bone mineral density test and fracture risk.
- The risks of hormone therapy like stroke, blood clots, gallbladder issues, breast cancer are rare in women aged under 60 years or within 10 years of menopause onset. For such women, benefits of relieving menopausal symptoms often outweigh risks. However, use of hormone therapy should be based on shared decision making between patient and clinician.
- Treatment should start with lower hormone therapy doses like:
- Estradiol 0.5 mg/day oral or 0.025 mg/day transdermal
- Conjugated equine estrogens 0.3 mg/day oral
- Transdermal 17?-estradiol 0.014 mg/day
- Micronized progesterone 100 mg/day for 12-14d/month
- Custom compounded bioidentical hormone therapy is not recommended by NAMS due to quality control and standardization issues. FDA-approved bioidentical hormone preparations are preferred.
If you are struggling with troublesome peri/menopausal symptoms, I highly recommend consulting with healthcare providers at Optimal Hormone Solutions. Their physicians specialize in state-of-the-art genetic testing and precision hormone balancing tailored to your unique needs.
Their expert clinicians stay up-to-date with latest NAMS guidelines to provide you with the most effective and safest hormone replacement therapy options to help relieve your symptoms and enhance quality of life. Plus, Optimal Hormone Solutions offers specialized counseling and therapies to improve your sleep, mood, sexual health and nutrient intake - areas that can be significantly impacted during hormone changes at menopause.
With Optimal Hormone Solutions, you can be assured of compassionate care based on good science and ethical practice. Visit today to schedule your consultation!
In summary, NAMS hormone therapy recommendations aim to provide evidence-based guidance to healthcare providers about safe and effective options for managing bothersome peri/menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal atrophy as well as preventing osteoporosis through individualized risk-benefit analysis and treatment choices for each woman. If you need help managing menopausal changes, consider consulting compassionate and science-based physicians at Optimal Hormone Solutions who stay updated with latest NAMS guidelines for optimal care.
