Hormone therapy - Definition and Overview

In medicine, hormone therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment and covers various types of hormones including growth hormones and sex hormones.

Types of hormone therapy include:

• hormone replacement therapy
• hormone treatment of Klinefelter's syndrome
• hormone treatment of Turner syndrome
• hormone treatment in gender reassignment therapy
• treatment with growth hormone to treat growth hormone deficiency
• treatment with thyroid hormones in hypothyroidism
• replacement of calcitonin following parathyroidectomy
• replacement of testosterone in males with low levels due to disease or aging

The oral contraceptive pill is a form of hormone therapy.

Anti-hormone treatment with hormone antagonists is also used: for example, the use of antiandrogens to suppress androgenic hormones.

See also: chemotherapy