Is Femara a hormone therapy?
The human body is indeed a marvel. Considering the many parts of the body work simultaneously and are able to adapt to the many changes that happen in their life, it certainly be unfair to not acknowledge how amazing the hormone also works. Hormone inside the human body is able to control so many things despite only being needed in the body with very small amounts. However, not everyone is lucky to be living with the adequate amount of hormones in their body or the hormone does not work as it is supposed to. One of the medicines used to help overcome this issue is Femara 2.5 mg. Have you ever wondered if Femara is considered as hormone therapy?
Femara is considered as hormone therapy as it is made up of letrozole. Letrozole isa substance that works by blocking the enzyme aromatase. This specific enzyme converts androgen hormone to oestrogen. The question now lies is how it works as hormone therapy? As mentioned previously, it works by blocking the enzyme aromatase. This translates to the lowering of the oestrogen level in the female body.
You might wonder, why would the drug lower the estrogen level instead when we all know that estrogen is needed in a certain amount to actually perform the many task In a female body. Femara works to lower the estrogen level to trigger the brain by releasing other hormones needed for pregnancy to occur. It also aids in development of multiple follicles and the release of multiple eggs. This stimulation ovulation helps to increase chances for pregnancy. It is worth noting that Femara works in premenopausal women in order to achieve all of these. Studies show that 15% chances for a woman to be pregnant for each month following Femara consumption. Beside this study, another one shows that pregnancy rate is around 22% when a woman is being put on Femara as fertility treatment. Hence, it is easily to be said that Femara does act as a hormone therapy.
Beside Femara being a hormone therapy for those looking forward to pregnancy, Femara is also considered a hormone therapy as it is part of therapy for breast cancer. Now, you probably are saying something like why would breast cancer be part of hormone therapy. Breast cancer is caused by the stimulation of breast cancer cells by the hormones. However, it is important to understand that not all breast cancer is caused by hormones but hormones certainly play a role in the growth of some breast cancers. Hence, Femara is used as hormone therapy to help reduce the growth of breast cancer, at times, it even puts a halt to the breast cancer cells from growing.
Femara works in those with breast cancer by slowing down or stopping the cancer growth. It is usually given to postmenopausal women diagnosed with early or advanced stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. It is uncommon to see Femara being given to premenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer. Apart from helping women to get pregnant and breast cancer, Femara is also prescribed for those with fertility issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or problems with ovulation such as those with irregular periods.
It is recommended to take Femara once per day. For fertility issues, it is to be taken for 5 days per month from day 2 to day 6 of the menstrual cycle. It is important to take Femara at the same time of the day and to have regular sexual intercourse of 2 to 3 times a week during the fertility therapy. It is taken for six ovulation cycles in total. For breast cancer, Femara is taken depending on the stage of the breast cancer itself. For example, if Femara is used as the 1st hormonal therapy after breast cancer surgery, a person may need to take Femara for 5 years and if Femara is used as the 2nd hormonal therapy after 5 years of tamoxifen, a person may need to take Femara for 5 years. In advanced stage of breast cancer, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, duration of Femara may not be fixed and a person will usually take the medicine for a long time as long they do benefit from it. Remember, the mentioned dose is only recommendation and your doctor may give different dose and duration. The most important thing is for patient to take the medicine as instructed by doctors.
Just as with any other medicine, Femara does pose potential side effects. Common side effects include headache, bloating, dizziness, fatigue, hot flushes, abdominal pain, upset stomach and joint or bone pain. Should any of these side effects occur or get severe, patients should not stop taking the medicine without getting advice from their doctor first. If patients are taking other medicine or taking other supplements and/or having other medical conditions, they should let the doctors know as this will help to reduce risk for adverse drug reaction.
