The Hormone Fix

Is HRT the wonder solution to menopause?

- SAKSHI RAWTE

Waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat despite the air conditioner at 18 degrees, and constantly irritated over even the smallest things—these were just a few of the struggles my mother faced as she navigated menopause. Some days, the tension would build up so much that we’d have to retreat to separate rooms, simply because no one wanted to freeze or endure a hot flash of anger. “If my doctor had mentioned hormone replacement therapy (HRT) eight years ago, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat,” she tells me. In a country where menstruation has long been considered a taboo, it’s no surprise that menopause and its symptoms are similarly stigmatised.