Will I be disadvantaged, if I don't take HRT??

[BeachBlondey]

I'm sure I've read somewhere, that HRT helps with bone density as you get older, and a few other things. However, I actually don't need it to manage any symptoms, because although I'm menopausal, I actually feel good. I think I had things like hot flushes a few years ago, and wrote them off as something else. No mood swings or anything. I'm 53 years old - 54 this year. My last period was in April. My GP doesn't want to prescribe it. But should I be taking it anyway, to ward off things like brittle bones, later in life? Or is it best to stay off it, if the con's outweigh the pro's? Thanks for any advice!

Hello, I’m a bit younger than you and have been wondering the same thing and would love to hear some informed thoughts.

I had been intending to take HRT as a health preserver in a similar way to taking the pill when I was younger, however I’ve read something today (daily hate, so may well be bollocks) about the prevalence of dementia in women who took HRT. Obviously correlation and causation are not the same, anyway.

I had thought that having the stabilising hormones from HRT would support better physical and mental health as we age but I don’t feel I know enough and my GP while lovely, isn’t an expert.

I take calcium and k2 to manage bone density, I don’t think you need hrt.

www.balance-menopause.com/menopause-library/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt-the-basics-factsheet/
I would say yes, your risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia is reduced reduced.

The evidence is not clear. HRT might be a good preventative. It might increase various illnesses. It might be one for one person and the other for someone else.

I look at it this way. We were not living anywhere near as long until recent decades. Post menopausal life was short. Maybe 10-20 years. Now it can be 40 years. That's a long time for issues like bone degradation to have seriously bad effects. Living as much of life without those hormones as with is a new phenomenon. Oestrogen protects against many things. It also reduces inflammation and pain. Living for decades with pain and bone weakness doesn't sound good to me

Supplements can help with bone density but no where near the levels that HRT does as HRT prevents the degradation in the first place. It doesn't try to replace like calcium does. Oestrogen is a key component in retaining soft tissue like cartilage, tendons and ligaments. When oestrogen drops, these tissues can become less pliable and stretchy. Pain and rigidity occur

I've also been wondering about this. I'm 55 and am lucky to have no symptoms other than the odd hot flush. I take vitamin supplements (menopace) and I've also joined a gym and do classes and weights in the hope of maintaining healthy bones. Not sure if its enough though.

It will depend a lot on your genetics. Some people have dense bones. Others have bones like a loofah sponge. If you start off with very dense bones you see less likely to ever have issues and vice versa

Thanks all. I'm taking collagen and cod liver oil, as I can get a bit stiff. Not sure if it's helping, but I think I have to wait until I've been taking it for 6 months to really assess. I'm 4 months in just now.

You could get a bone density scan to determine your bone health now which could guide your choice.

As @yipeeyiyay said, you may be genetically predisposed to dense bones in which case paying attention to nutrition, doing weight bearing exercise, not smoking and limiting alcohol might be enough to stave off osteoporosis.

HRT is a personal choice and we all need to weigh the pros and cons. The issue I have with some of the sites such as the one linked in a previous post is that they paint such a rosy picture of all the pros by cherry picking studies/data and downplaying any of the "cons". It can be hard to find well balanced guidance.