Understanding HRT and Other Treatment Options

What you will be able to do

• explain the difference between combined and oestrogen-only HRT, and why progestogen is added for people with a womb.
• describe the main forms of HRT and why different risks are described for tablets compared with patches, gels and sprays.
• summarise the benefits and risks of HRT in the way the HSE and current clinical guidance describe them.
• tell the difference between absolute and relative risk, and ask for your own risks as numbers.
• describe local options for vaginal and urinary symptoms, including what a pharmacy can supply.
• outline non-hormonal options, including CBT, and what current guidance says about herbal and compounded products.
• prepare for and take part in a shared decision with your GP or pharmacist, and know what happens at reviews and how free HRT works in Ireland.

1. 1Why treatment options exist, and how menopause care works in Ireland

   A short reminder of what changes around the menopause, then how GPs, the HSE and specialist clinics approach treatment decisions, so you know who does what before you look at the options.

   • Menopause in brief: what treatment is trying to help
   • How decisions are made: guidance, your GP and shared decision-making

   Questions for my GP or pharmacist

2. 2HRT explained: the hormones, the forms and the patterns

   What is in HRT, why some people need two hormones, the different ways it can be taken, and the terms you will hear in your appointment.

   • Oestrogen and progestogen: why there are two types of HRT
   • Ways to take HRT: tablets, patches, gels, sprays and more
   • Cyclical or continuous: the patterns of combined HRT

   Menopause options comparison sheet (education only)

3. 3Benefits and risks, as current guidance describes them

   What HRT can help with, how to make sense of risk numbers, and the specific risks and side effects you may hear about.

   • What HRT can help with
   • Making sense of risk: absolute and relative numbers
   • The risks one by one, side effects and who may not be suited

   Questions for my GP or pharmacist

4. 4Vaginal and urinary symptoms: local options

   Why vaginal and bladder symptoms happen, the local treatments available, and what you can get from a pharmacy.

   • Genitourinary symptoms: common, treatable and often not mentioned
   • Vaginal oestrogen, moisturisers and lubricants

   Menopause options comparison sheet (education only)

5. 5Options besides HRT

   Talking therapy, non-hormonal medicines, herbal and 'natural' products, and everyday habits, as the HSE and current guidance describe them.

   • CBT: a talking therapy the HSE includes for menopause symptoms
   • Non-hormonal prescription medicines
   • Herbal products, 'bioidentical' hormones and everyday habits

   Menopause options comparison sheet (education only)Myths vs evidence cards

6. 6Your GP or pharmacist conversation

   How to prepare, what to ask in the room, and what happens afterwards, including reviews, free HRT and how decisions about stopping are made.

   • Before the appointment: getting ready
   • In the room: questions that help you decide together
   • After the appointment: reviews, free HRT and stopping

   Questions for my GP or pharmacist

7. 7Myths, evidence and trustworthy information

   Common myths about menopause treatment, how to judge what you read and see online, and your next steps.

   • Common myths, and what the evidence says
   • Judging what you read, and your next steps

   Myths vs evidence cardsMenopause options comparison sheet (education only)

• ListMenopause options comparison sheet (education only)Side-by-side summaries of the main treatment options the HSE and current clinical guidance describe, with space to add your own notes and questions before you see your GP or pharmacist.
• TemplateQuestions for my GP or pharmacistA one-page prep sheet so you can explain how symptoms affect you, share the history a prescriber needs, and ask the questions that matter to you.
• CardsMyths vs evidence cardsPocket cards that set common menopause treatment myths against what the HSE and current clinical guidance actually say, to help you sort fact from fear before a conversation with your GP.