Tell me about your experience with HRT please

[Holdontotheside]

I’m 47 and thinking about asking my GP if I can begin HRT.
I wake up every night and spend hours worrying irrationally. I often have a sense of dread during the day for no reason. I get hot flushes (especially at night). My sex drive has dropped off a cliff.
Do you think HRT would help? I’m getting pretty desperate.

It saved my sanity for sure - this was a few years back but I just wished I tried it sooner. You may need to adjust dose or specific product but I don’t regret taking it.

Yes this was me six months ago . I am on patches now and feeling much better. Please go and speak to your doctor and do some reading. Davina mccall has done a programme on this and a big advocate of menopause and hrt.

HRT saved my life! I had a foggy head, aches, really bad sweats at night, low mood and bad tempers. I was on tablets for 3 months which helped a little. I'm now on tablets and gel and within weeks I felt back to my old self.

Do go to the doctor and insist on it!

I'm never coming off it. Mirena plus oestrogel. No periods, happy, not angry or tearful, no brain fog, no night sweats, kicked in pretty much straight away. Was mid 40s.

It's fucking excellent. Wish I'd done it years ago.

No more night sweats, waking up at three am every night for about three years, no more inexplicable anxiety.

Life changer.

Is weight gain A Thing on HRT? I am struggling badly enough as it is and would hate to add in another barrier to weight loss. My problem is lack of libido, aching and dryness everywhere!!

I was experiencing the same at 47 and put it down to being exhausted with work and family life etc, but it wasn't until this year, just as I turned 49, that I finally realised I was menopausal and went on HRT. It's been so transformative – I feel like my old self again – that I'm kicking myself I didn't ask for it sooner. So, yes, if you're feeling desperate, I think it will definitely help.

@CoraPirbright

Is weight gain A Thing on HRT? I am struggling badly enough as it is and would hate to add in another barrier to weight loss. My problem is lack of libido, aching and dryness everywhere!!

I'm losing weight on HRT! I had no energy or inclination to exercise or eat healthily before I went on it but now I'm doing 10,000 steps a day, swimming, dancing, and I've cut portion size/cut out crap and it's been easy because I'm in the mood to do it.

I started taking HRT around July time.
I would suddenly feel warm and heat rise from my neck and into my face and then into my skull. I felt like I was going to explode. Within a couple of days ( if that) it immediately stopped. I wasn't having sweats though.
I was having anxiety feelings which I never had before ( apart from a work bullying incident a few years ago) so that took me by surprise. Those feelings have stopped as well.

Not long after starting HRT I went down with Covid and was really poorly. I am only just beginning to recover . In fact yesterday was the first day I felt really positive in a long time so I feel like I haven't experienced the benefits of HRT properly yet.

I decided to get in touch with the doctor after reading the Menopause thread on MN.. I jumped on to someone elses thread and I got a lot of good advice.
I would suggest you look at the Menopause topic page for any questions. It helped me make my mind up and get help.

I'm 51 with no sign of menopause yet. How do you know when you need HRT?

The sense of dread you mention is like the adrenaline rushes I was getting instead of hot flushes. A full on fight or flight anxiety attack every 20 minutes was so debilitating. Been on HRT since May, reckon we need to adjust doses but already so much better than without it. Definitely speak to your GP.

@ILoveJamaica
This was 30 years ago...not sure how much has changed since.
My lovely GP told me to come and see her when I had my first hot flush. She put me on HRT and I took it for 10 years, no problems, felt totally normal. Then there was a report saying that it might be connected with breast cancer, so I stopped. No withdrawal symptoms. So glad I did it. Just a daily pill for 3 weeks and then a withdrawal bleed, and repeat.

So glad I did it. I felt good and looked good.

I'm 51 with no sign of menopause yet. How do you know when you need HRT?
I'm 56 when my symptoms started a few months ago.

I think it's a case of you will know when it's time!!

They'll be prising mine from my cold dead hands.

It really gave me my life back

It has had a very positive impact on my life. I sleep well every single night, feel balanced, sharp and vaginal dryness is no longer an issue.

I'm on patches. Have been since I was 41. They are fab. Stopped the hot flushes within 48 hours.

No weight gain etc and my sleep improved too.