Endometriosis is a condition, where you have lining of the uterus, endometrium, present outside the uterus and the tissue behaves in a similar way to endometrium.
Endometriosis generally regresses after the menopause, because the hormone levels drop, but in a small proportion of women, endometriosis lesions can continue to cause symptoms.
Can women with endometriosis take HRT?
If a woman with a history of endometriosis enters into the menopause and is experiencing menopausal symptoms, it is reasonable and safe to take HRT, but with the caveat that endometriosis could be reactivated by the hormonal stimulation of the HRT.
Some menopausal women with endometriosis may have continuing symptoms from ongoing active endometriosis lesions without HRT, (thought to be due to oestrogen production happening within the endometriosis lesions themselves). However, taking HRT may increase the chance of this activation.
What type of HRT is usually prescribed for women with a history of endometriosis?
In women with endometriosis a combined HRT preparation with oestrogen and progesterone given continuously is preferred regardless of whether the woman has had a hysterectomy or not as taking oestrogen-only HRT can increase the risk of recurrence.
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