HRT

HRT, made easy.

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Buy HRT online

Given that there are so many treatments to choose from, pinning down the right HRT for you can be a bit daunting. We’re here to make it a whole lot simpler.

Talk to our experts about HRT, order HRT online and we’ll keep in touch with you to see how you’re getting on with your medication.

Here’s what's included in the price:

Consultation

Answer a few questions about your health so we can get to know you better.

Free 24h delivery

Your treatment delivered in secure packaging, the very next day.

Aftercare

We’ll check in with you regularly to see how your treatment is going.

View all prices

HRT: essential info

How to take HRT

Different types of HRT

This page was medically reviewed by Dr Lacramioara Burlacu, Prescribing Doctor on August 02, 2022. Next review due on August 01, 2024.

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Menopause (HRT): Here's what we've got.

Estradot

Estradiol

Simple treatment for menopause symptoms. Estradot is a HRT patch you change just twice a week.

Starting from AUD74.00

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Livial

Tibolone

A daily tablet for post-menopausal symptoms. It’s hormone-free, but works just like female hormones.

Starting from AUD143.00

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Tibolone

Generic (and slightly cheaper) version of Livial.

Starting from AUD99.00

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Dr Daniel Atkinson

GP Clinical Lead

Registered with GMC (No. 4624794)

Meet Daniel

Mr Stephen Speirs

Pharmacist

Victorian Pharmacy Authority (AHPRA: 3000093-104124)

Meet Stephen

Dr Lacramioara Burlacu

Prescribing Doctor

Registered with APHRA (MED0001826624)

Meet Lacramioara

Some treatments can cause side effects

Always read the leaflet that comes with your medication and tell us about any side effects you get.

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Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.

What is HRT?

HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, is treatment that women take to help relieve menopausal symptoms like night sweats, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, brain fog, mood swings and lower sex drive.

How long you take it for can vary; many women take it for a year or two but some can take it for much longer than this. It’s a very individual thing. Certain types of HRT will also suit you more than others. Our clinician can talk you through the different options, and help you to decide which one is right for you.

How does HRT work?

As you enter the menopause, the levels of oestrogen that your body produces start to decrease, due to a shift in the balance of your sex hormones. This can cause symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and changes to your mood. HRT contains synthetic oestrogen, which makes up for the natural oestrogen that’s lost, and helps to tackle menopausal symptoms.

Combined forms of HRT also contain a second hormone: a synthetic form of progesterone. Without anything to keep it in check, oestrogen may increase your risk of getting endometrial cancer, as it can cause the womb lining to thicken more than it should. The progesterone in combined HRT offers protection from this, keeping the oestrogen in line and reducing the risk of womb cancer developing. It’s more convenient to take combined HRT as a pill or patch which contains both progesterone and oestrogen, but sometimes it’s better to take these separately.

If you’ve had a total hysterectomy though, because your womb has been removed, you’ll usually be prescribed oestrogen only HRT.

The menopause can also cause your bones to become more fragile and more prone to breaking. HRT can provide some protection against osteoporosis by helping the bones to stay strong. HRT isn’t a primary treatment for osteoporosis though, so if you’re looking to use it for this purpose, just let our clinician know and they can chat to you about it.

HRT benefits

The major benefit of HRT is that it can help to ease many symptoms of the menopause (by as much as 75%, so quite a lot then).

The oestrogen and progesterone in combined HRT make a good team. The oestrogen helps to manage symptoms of the menopause whilst the progesterone helps to keep it in check and reduces your cancer risk.

And there’s the protection it can provide from osteoporosis too, when the bones in the body are more at risk of breaking or becoming brittle after the menopause.

Medically reviewed by

Dr Lacramioara Burlacu

Prescribing Doctor

on August 02, 2022.

Meet Lacramioara

This page was medically reviewed by Dr Lacramioara Burlacu, Prescribing Doctor on August 02, 2022. Next review due on August 01, 2024.

How we source info.

When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.

What forms of HRT are there?

There are a number of different types of HRT available, and we can talk you through your options.

Tablets

Tablets are one of the most widely used types of HRT. There are tablet options for both combined HRT and oestrogen only HRT, and you normally take them once every day. They do carry a slightly increased risk of blood clots and breast cancer than other forms of HRT treatment, but it is only a small increase (nine more women develop a blood clot for every 10,000 women each year). Because of this increased breast cancer risk, make sure you attend your breast cancer screening (mammogram) appointments.

Skin patches

If you find having to remember to take a tablet every day a bit inconvenient, skin patches may be a more low maintenance treatment for you and they’re safer for your heart than tablets. You stick HRT patches to your skin, and change them twice a week. They’re available as a combined HRT treatment or as an oestrogen only medication. Skin patches can be a strong option if you’re prone to side effects such as indigestion, and they don’t increase your risk at all of developing a blood clot, unlike tablets.

Oestrogen gel

More and more women are starting to use oestrogen gel for menopausal symptoms, and it’s probably because it’s really easy to use. You just need to rub it onto your skin once a day. It doesn’t increase your blood clot risk either, but if you still have your womb, you’ll need to use an additional progesterone, to limit your chances of getting womb cancer.

Implants

They’re not particularly common, but you can also get a HRT implant, which releases oestrogen slowly into the body and doesn’t need to be replaced for several months at a time. You’ll need to take a separate progesterone though if you’ve still got your womb.

So what is the best HRT for me?

It depends on a number of factors, like what stage of the menopause you’re at, how sensitive you are to certain levels of hormones, and whether you prefer to take tablets or use patches, for example.

Whether or not you’ve had a total hysterectomy is also a factor, and if you have certain health conditions, that can play a big part too.

Here are your options. Our clinician can talk you through them, and recommend safe and suitable HRT treatments just for you.

Combined sequential and sequential HRT

If you’re getting menopausal symptoms and still having your period, combined sequential (or cyclical) HRT treatments are usually the recommended options. Combined HRT products like Femoston and Estalis Sequi patches are known as ‘combined’ treatments because they contain two hormones: a progesterone and an oestrogen.

With sequential HRT, you start your cycle with oestrogen only tablets (or patches) and then take a combination of oestrogen and progesterone tablets (or patches) part way through your cycle.

Continuous combined HRT

If you haven’t had a period for one year, you’re usually considered to be postmenopausal, and continuous combined HRT products like Angeliq and Estalis Continuous tend to be the suggested route. With continuous combined HRT treatments, you take a combination of oestrogen and progesterone every day, without a break (hence ‘continuous’). So they’re a little different to sequential HRT products.

Oestrogen only HRT

Oestrogen only treatments such as Estrofem and Estradot patches are normally recommended for women who have had their womb removed during a hysterectomy. Like continuous combined HRT, you typically take oestrogen every day, without a break.

Side effects of HRT may also vary from one woman to the next, so some HRT medications won’t be safe (or suitable) for women to use on this basis, while other products will be. If you’re more sensitive to oestrogen, you may be better suited to lower-dose HRT products. And if you have a particular health condition, this can mean that certain HRT products won’t be safe for you to use either.

Our clinician can identify which treatments are appropriate for you and which aren’t, and make recommendations based on your medical background.

What HRT alternatives are there?

Tibolone

There’s a prescription HRT medicine called Tibolone (also branded as Livial, Livilan and Xyvial) that’s used to relieve menopausal symptoms and as a preventative treatment for osteoporosis. Tibolone is the active ingredient, so it’s a bit different to other forms of HRT, which contain oestrogen and progesterone (or just oestrogen).

It can help to ease symptoms like hot flushes, reduced sex drive and low mood, but research has suggested that Tibolone may be less effective than combined HRT. It’s also only a suitable option for women who are postmenopausal (so women who had their last period over a year ago).

Tibolone can produce side effects, including breast pain, vaginal discharge, pain in the pelvis, itching and abdominal pain.

The slightly increased risks of breast cancer and stroke that HRT carry are similar with Tibolone.

Clonidine

Clonidine is another prescription treatment that’s sometimes used to help tackle symptoms like flushing and night sweats. It’s a tablet that you take two or three times a day, and it has no effect on hormone levels, so there’s no increased risk of breast cancer for example. Studies suggest that it only has a small impact on easing flushing and night sweats though, and it can have unpleasant side effects too. Clonidine is a blood-pressure medication. It’s not licensed for treating menopause symptoms, but doctors might prescribe it to you ‘off-label’ if they think it’ll be a safe and suitable treatment for you.

FAQ: HRT

Have something specific you want to know about HRT? Search our info below, or ask our experts a question if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

What side effects does HRT cause?

Answer:

It can depend on what type of HRT you’re using, but the major side effects of taking oestrogen include feeling sick, headaches, vaginal bleeding, feeling bloated, tenderness or swelling in the breasts, swelling elsewhere in the body, indigestion and cramps in the legs.

These side effects tend to disappear after a couple of weeks, but there are a few things that you can try to help manage them. Taking your oestrogen dose with food can help to ease sickness and indigestion. Following a low-fat diet with limited dairy can reduce breast pain, whilst regular exercise and stretches can help with leg cramps.

If you find that these side effects continue, let our clinician know. They may advise you to switch to a different HRT method (so switching from a tablet to a patch, for instance) or they can talk to you about adjusting your dose.

Like oestrogen, progesterone in HRT can also trigger side effects. The main ones are mood changes, acne, abdominal pain, headaches or migraines, breast pain, swelling in other parts of the body, depression, back pain and vaginal bleeding.

Similarly to the side effects from taking oestrogen, these symptoms should resolve by themselves after a few weeks. But if they persist, drop our clinician a message, and they can recommend any adjustments or changes.

If you experience any of the following side effects, you should seek urgent medical attention immediately: yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), a significant rise in your blood pressure (headache, tiredness and dizziness are symptoms), migraine-like headaches that develop for the first time, if you fall pregnant, and if you get any indications of a blood clot (painful swelling and redness of the legs, sudden pain in the chest and breathing difficulties).

For more information on side effects and when to get medical assistance, you should read the package leaflet that comes with your HRT treatment, or get in touch with us.

How long after starting HRT will you feel a difference?

Answer:

It can take a few weeks before you start to feel the effects of HRT. Our clinicians will normally advise you to try a treatment for three months to see if it improves your symptoms. If you don’t notice an improvement at this point, they may recommend adjusting your dose, or switching to an alternative HRT treatment.

It may take your body some time to get used to HRT, and you may experience certain side effects, including tenderness in the breasts, cramps in the legs and nausea. If you get any side effects that cause you discomfort, or that concern you, let our clinician know.

Can you take HRT for the rest of your life?

Answer:

There isn’t a set length of time for HRT use. Some women use it for a few years until their menopausal symptoms have eased, whereas other women take it for longer periods because they feel that it gives them more energy (and to reduce their risk of osteoporosis).

It’s a personal decision, and it really can vary a lot from one woman to the next. It’s very important that you discuss it with our clinician, and see what their recommendations are for you, in light of your medical background and any side effects you may experience, or health conditions you may have. They will normally review how you’re getting on with HRT on an annual basis, but you should contact them at any point if you’ve got any questions.

Your risk of developing breast cancer may increase slightly when you use oral HRT which contains progesterone for more extended periods. For example, for every 1,000 women from the age of menopause up to 69 years who are not using continuous combined HRT treatment, 13 may develop breast cancer. For every 1,000 women in this same bracket who are using continuous combined oral HRT treatment for five years or more, an additional 10 women may develop breast cancer. So a 1% increase.

There’s a slightly greater risk of developing a blood clot with HRT tablets than there is compared to not using HRT treatment, but it is only slight (tablets may produce an extra nine cases of venous thromboembolism for every 10,000 women each year).

There’s also a slightly greater chance you may have a stroke if you use HRT. From the age of menopause up to 69 years of age, four women in every 1,000 may have a stroke. In this same bracket, for women who use HRT for five years, there may be one extra case of stroke.

Does HRT cause weight gain?

Answer:

There’s no evidence that HRT triggers weight gain (or weight loss). The menopause can affect your weight, but this normally occurs regardless of whether or not you use HRT.

If you’re looking to lose any weight, following a healthy, balanced diet and getting regular exercise can help.

Can you stop hot flushes without HRT?

Answer:

If you’re not able to take HRT, or if you’d rather not use it, a medicine for high blood pressure called clonidine can help with hot flushes, as can certain antidepressants. But these treatments can have side effects, so you should always discuss using them for this purpose with a clinician first.

Making changes to your lifestyle may also help to tackle your hot flushes, such as:

having a cool shower, using a fan or drinking something cold

making sure that you keep your bedroom cool at night

exercising regularly and losing weight if you’re overweight

avoiding spicy food, alcohol, smoking and caffeine

reducing your stress levels

wearing clothing that’s light

Why should I buy HRT online with Treated?

Answer:

There can be a lot of factors at play when it comes to finding the right HRT treatment for you. But once you’ve told us about your health, we’ll pick out all the suitable and safe options, and you can choose which medication you’d like from there.

We’re big on ongoing care too, so our clinicians will keep in touch with you on a regular basis to find out how you’re getting on with your treatment. If you’d like to make any adjustments, just send them a message, and they’ll talk you through your options. You can change, pause or cancel your subscription at any point.

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