Are you taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? HRT can help to relieve menopausal symptoms, like hot flushes, lethargy, sleep disturbances, and vaginal dryness. Are you taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? HRT can help to relieve menopausal symptoms, like hot flushes, lethargy, sleep disturbances, and vaginal dryness. Your HRT prescriber will tailor your regime according to your symptoms. However, if you continue to experience symptoms while on a higher dose of HRT, you may find this test insightful. In general, HRT means the replacement of any deficient hormone. More commonly and in the case of our test, it refers to using oestrogen and progesterone to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, lethargy, sleep disturbance, and vaginal dryness. Oestrogen hormones also help to prevent osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. The NHS and British Menopause Society don’t recommend routine blood testing when taking HRT. This is because HRT regimes need to be tailored individually according to symptoms, which are not always directly correlated with blood test hormone levels. For this reason, there is no formal guidance on optimal oestradiol levels while taking HRT. However, some private menopause clinicians may wish to check your HRT levels if your symptoms haven’t improved, despite increasing your dose. There’s also some evidence that maintaining adequate oestrogen levels helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis — especially in women who have gone through early menopause.