If you take menopause hormone therapy, how can you reduce risk?

Talk to your healthcare professional about these strategies to reduce the risks of menopause hormone therapy:

• Find the best product type for you. You can take estrogen as a pill or use a patch, gel, vaginal cream, or slow-releasing suppository or ring that you place in your vagina. If you have only vaginal menopause symptoms, estrogen in a low-dose vaginal cream, tablet or ring is usually a better choice than an oral pill or a skin patch.
• Reduce the amount of medicine you take. Take the lowest dose of estrogen that helps your symptoms. And take it only for as long as you need it. If you're younger than age 45, you need enough estrogen to provide protection against the long-term health effects of low estrogen. If you have lasting menopause symptoms that hurt your quality of life, your healthcare professional may recommend longer treatment.
• Get regular follow-up care. See your healthcare professional regularly to make sure the benefits of menopause hormone therapy continue to outweigh the risks. You also should continue to have regular screenings, such as mammograms, blood pressure measurement and cervical cancer screening.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices. Get daily physical activity and exercise, eat a healthy diet, keep a healthy weight, don't smoke, limit alcohol and manage stress. Be sure to work with your healthcare professional to manage ongoing health conditions, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

If you still have your uterus and are taking estrogen, you'll also need to take a progestogen. Your healthcare professional can help you choose the best way to take these hormones based on what works for you and has the fewest side effects.