At Winona, we take your health and safety very seriously. For this reason, we ask you a number of questions during your onboarding process regarding your medical and surgical history. Based on your answers, your Winona doctor will determine which hormones your body needs, including if you should take estrogen, progesterone, or a combination of the two.

The surgical removal of the uterus and/or cervix is commonly referred to as a hysterectomy. Surgeons may remove just the uterus, or the uterus along with the cervix, depending on the reasons for the intervention. In other cases, a woman may also have an oophorectomy, or removal of the ovaries.

If you no longer have a uterus, it's generally considered safe to take estrogen alone. If a woman still has her uterus intact, she will need to take both estrogen and progesterone for safety reasons. Taking unopposed estrogen can lead to an overgrowth of uterine cells, which in turn, can lead to uterine cancer.

One of progesterone's main jobs is to help keep the uterus lean and healthy and to balance the effects of estrogen. Without it, your chances of developing cancer or complications from too much estrogen are greater.

Only in cases where a woman has had her uterus removed will our doctors prescribe estrogen without progesterone, so it's crucial to answer all of the onboarding questions accurately.