Whether you are about to begin hormone replacement therapy or already on it, you may wonder how long it can go on.
How many years hormone therapy might last
Nobody should give you a number of years without knowing your health history. How long hormone replacement therapy makes sense for you is a question for the clinician who prescribes it. Ask how often they would look at that answer again.
Checking in on whether it still fits
While you are still deciding, ask what the ongoing commitment would look like. The helpful question is not "how long" but "how will we keep checking that it still fits".
Questions to bring to your clinician:
- How often will you review whether I should continue?
- What tests or check-ins will you use, and what do they cost?
- What would make you suggest stopping or changing the dose?
- What happens to my symptoms if I stop?
- Who can I contact between visits?
It is easier to trust a plan that names its next check than one that simply runs on.
Keeping the review dates on paper
Ask your clinician to write the review schedule down for you, and ask whether lab work will be part of your care.
If your plan involves testosterone, one published review sets out recommendations on hypogonadism, and another looks at the risks of testosterone replacement therapy in men. Bring what you read to your clinician and ask how long reviews would continue in your case.
A length that is yours alone
How long hormone replacement therapy is right for you can only be judged by a licensed clinician with your records in hand.