What is hormone therapy?

The term covers more than one product. Get the name of the one you are offered first.

Define hormone therapy by the product on your prescription

Hormone therapy means treatment with hormones. Which hormone, what dose and what result are questions about one specific product, so start with its name.

Read four things on the hormone label and form

Read the product's label and the consent form ahead of any agreement. Look for four things:

1. The exact name of the product.
2. Who prescribes it and who supervises it.
3. What the form says to watch for, and when to call.
4. What the form asks you to do before the first dose.

If a document uses a word you do not know, have the prescriber explain it in plain terms before you sign.

Collect the label and the questions it raises

• Request the product label and the consent form ahead of the visit.
• Write down every question the documents raise.
• Ask whether the product is approved for what you want it for.
• Never start or stop a prescribed treatment without the prescriber.

Read professional sources before any product page

Read the hospital health library page, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for Menopause. Then open the medical center news page on facts about menopause and hormone therapy. Carry the questions they raise to your prescriber.