Dear Kathryn,

The prescribed patch may work well for you, however, hormone therapy is very complex and there are many factors for your health care provider to consider. Women's responses to replacement hormones are highly varied. Some women absorb replacement hormones quickly, others very slowly. Some women metabolize them efficiently; others recirculate and reuse them. Your body will respond differently to natural hormones than to synthetic hormones.

Different hormonal delivery systems work differently in the body, too. How you take hormone therapy - whether in pill, cream, gel, patch, or suppository form - can dramatically affect how you respond. It also makes a difference if you take a hormone preparation once or twice a day, in the morning or at night. Patches, creams, and gels, for example, are well absorbed and can dramatically reduce - by as much as ten times - the dosage a woman needs to manage her symptoms. Tablets and capsules, on the other hand, take longer to metabolize and lose much of their potency as they pass through the liver.

In the case of estrogen patches, they may not have as great an effect in preventing heart disease, they are more expensive than oral estrogen, and the adhesive may cause skin irritation, but they may be a good choice if your triglyceride levels are abnormally high.

The specific type of replacement hormone you take, how much of it you take, when you take it, and the form in which you take it - all have an impact on how your hormone therapy works for you. When you consider all of these variables, it really does make sense to design a woman's hormone replacement to meet her specific needs and to test hormone levels to monitor results. It is best for you to discuss these factors with your health care provider. You may also want to download our hormone replacement information packet or purchase The HRT Solution to give to him or her.

Educating women on health care options is the personal mission of Marla Ahlgrimm, R.Ph., founder and CEO of Women's Health America. If you have a women's health care question, send it to Marla at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . If your question is chosen for publication, we'll send you a free sample of one of our latest health care innovations.