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If you are considering hormone therapy, here are some questions to discuss with your health care provider:

How much are you bothered by menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes or vaginal dryness?

Like many women, your hot flashes or night sweats will likely go away over time, but vaginal dryness may not.

Are you at risk for developing osteoporosis?

Estrogen might protect bone mass while you use it. However, there are other drugs that can protect your bones. Remember to take calcium with vitamin D and do weight-bearing exercise and strength training.

Do you have a history of heart disease?

Using estrogen and progesterone can increase your risk if you have already started to develop atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease.

Do you or others in your family have a history of breast cancer?

If you have a family history of breast cancer, check with your health care provider about your risk.

Do you have a history of gall bladder disease or high levels of triglycerides?

Some experts think that using a patch will not make your triglyceride (a type of fat in the blood) level go up or increase your chance of gall bladder problems. Using an estrogen pill might.

Do you have liver disease or a history of stroke or blood clots in your veins?

Hormone therapy may increase the risk of blood clots or stroke.

Are you over age 65 and thinking about using estrogen to prevent dementia?

Estrogen and progesterone could actually increase your risk of dementia. Estrogen alone might do that also.

These questions were developed and reviewed by medical experts at the University of Virginia Health System.