"Pwede ba ako mag-HRT?" A pre-screener for HRT for menopause

Women with menopause symptoms who are wondering whether hormone therapy (HRT, also called MHT) is worth asking about, and women whose OB said no without explaining why. Filipinas on Reddit describe asking for HRT and being refused or brushed off (r/AskPinay). This tool helps you walk in with the right questions.

This page is about hormone therapy for menopause. If you are looking for gender-affirming hormone care, that is a different topic with different guidelines, and you deserve a doctor who specialises in it.

• Age and time since your last period (or whether you are still having periods).
• Uterus: do you still have one? Anyone with a uterus who takes estrogen also needs a progestogen to protect the womb lining.
• Symptoms: how much hot flashes, sleep, mood or dryness bother you.
• Health history flags: breast cancer, blood clots in the legs or lungs, heart attack, angina or stroke, liver disease, and unexplained vaginal bleeding. Estrogen labels such as the UK Oestrogel SmPC list these as reasons not to use it.
• Other conditions to discuss: high blood pressure, migraine, smoking, diabetes.

You get a short summary in three parts:

1. Timing. If you are under 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the tool notes that The Menopause Society 2022 position statement says that, for most healthy women with bothersome symptoms in this group, the benefits of hormone therapy exceed the risks (NAMS 2022). Outside that window, it notes that the decision needs a more careful look, not that HRT is off the table. The same statement says there is no need to stop routinely at 60 or 65.
2. Things your doctor will want to know. Each flag you ticked becomes a question to raise. For example, controlled high blood pressure is not an automatic no, and estrogen through the skin (transdermal) and lower doses may carry lower clot and stroke risk (NAMS 2022).
3. Stop signs. Unexplained bleeding, especially after 12 months with no period, triggers a "See a doctor soon" box first. That needs checking before any hormone discussion.

You can print the summary or add it to your Health Report.

"Nakaka-cancer ba ang HRT?" is the top worry we hear. The Menopause Society 2022 says breast cancer risk does not increase appreciably with short-term use of estrogen plus progestogen, and estrogen alone may lower it. In the original WHI combined arm, the excess was about 8 more invasive breast cancers per 10,000 women per year (Rossouw et al., JAMA 2002). In November 2025 the US FDA announced it would remove boxed warnings on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia from menopausal hormone therapy labels, while keeping the endometrial cancer warning for estrogen-alone products (RAPS). Read HRT and cancer for the full picture.

• This is a conversation starter, not medical clearance. A doctor needs your full history, blood pressure and sometimes tests.
• It does not choose between gel, tablets or tibolone. See the HRT options explorer.
• Your answers stay on your device and are not sent anywhere.