Hormone therapy is treatment that adds, blocks or removes hormones to slow or stop cancer cells that use hormones to grow. It may be used alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. It can also lower the chance that a cancer will come back (recur). Hormone therapy is sometimes called hormonal manipulation or endocrine therapy.

There are several different types of hormone therapy, and the type that is best for you depends on your symptoms and health history. Your doctor will work with you to find the right hormone therapy for you.

Systemic hormone therapy las vegas includes pills, skin patches, rings, gels and creams that contain estrogen to treat menopausal symptoms. It can also include other hormones, such as progestins and testosterone, depending on your symptoms. Bioidentical hormones are made from natural ingredients and more closely match the body’s hormones. They can be made in a lab and are often compounded at a pharmacy to fit your specific needs. These drugs are not as well-studied and are less likely to be recommended by your provider.

Feminizing hormone therapy is a combination of estrogen and other drugs to help transgender women transition to the sex they feel most comfortable with. This type of hormone therapy isn’t well-studied, and doctors don’t know about the long-term effects. It is typically used short term — no more than 5 years.

The most common type of hormone therapy for prostate cancer is a combination of estrogen and progestin. It is often given as continuous-combined therapy, which means you take both estrogen and progestin every day in whatever form works best for you. Other forms of this combination are cyclic therapy, where you take estrogen for 12 to 15 days each month, and continuous-estrogen-only therapy. Your doctor will explain the benefits and risks of each type of hormone therapy to you.

There are also injections that block messages from the brain to the testicles to produce testosterone. These are usually only used for a few months to shrink the size of the prostate. They are also used to prevent the cancer from returning after other treatments, such as surgery and radiotherapy.

Some people who have hormone therapy for cancer have a higher risk of bone loss or heart disease. These risks increase over time and are greater in women than in men. If you have hormone therapy for cancer, your doctor can check your bones and heart regularly to watch for these changes.

Hormone therapy can cause side effects, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. You can try to reduce these side effects by taking a low dose of hormones, using them for the shortest time possible and getting regular medical tests. You can also talk to your doctor about taking a break from hormone therapy if the side effects are too hard to manage. Your doctor will reevaluate the risks and benefits of hormone therapy as you go. If the benefits outweigh the risks, your doctor might recommend that you continue hormone therapy for as long as you want.