Is hormone replacement therapy done with oestradiol?

Oestradiol is a form of oestrogen. It may help relieve symptoms linked with lower oestrogen, such as hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and some sleep or mood changes. It can be delivered through tablets, patches, gels, sprays, or local vaginal treatment. The route affects how treatment is used and monitored. If the womb is present, a prescriber commonly considers a progestogen as well, because oestrogen can stimulate the womb lining.

Discuss the symptom that needs treatment, your menstrual history, and any history of clots, migraine, liver disease, breast cancer, or unexplained bleeding. Ask which route is suitable and how long a trial should last. Use the medicine exactly as directed and review benefits, side effects, and bleeding changes rather than increasing it yourself.

Contact a clinician about new or persistent bleeding, a breast change, severe headache, or troublesome side effects. Seek urgent help for sudden breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, a swollen painful leg, or sudden weakness. Do not wait for a routine appointment if these symptoms appear.

Ask which oestradiol route matches your symptoms, whether you need womb-lining protection, how treatment will be reviewed, and what bleeding pattern should prompt an assessment.