…to ask if you decided to have HRT, & whether you’d recommend it?

[VenomHost]

I’m 52 & menopausal. Symptoms fairly mild but include weight gain, hot flushes & some insomnia & anxiety, although the last two likely to be partly due to a very stressful couple of years

Am considering HRT to hopefully ease these symptoms & also because I have read that HRT can be beneficial for bone & cardiovascular health & reduce risk of dementia.

If you decided to have HRT how easy was it to get, are you worried about any side effects or associated risks and have you benefitted / are you glad you’ve had it?

I had a Mirena coil fitted for contraception 3 years ago and was told that it works for contraception for 5 years but can be left in for 10 years for HRT as I was over 45.

I am well into menopause now and my symptoms have been pretty much just hot flushes on the week I would have had my period. I do wonder what they would be like without the coil. Its hard to judge as I was peri when I had it fitted, so I dont know what I would be like without it.

So sorry you have been going through such a terrible time MaChienEstUnDick

I feel for those who do not have supportive GP’s. I got the feeling my GP is going through this

I felt I slept better from the first day certainly within a week I was. And I’m not putting everything off now. Before I was constantly putting things off until tomorrow (if ever) if I could. I feel more myself than I have for years. My periods are still regular (28/29 days) so I thought I wouldn’t be able to get HRT

I had so little knowledge of peri menopause, menopause, HRT. We really need a lot more open discussions around the subject

[quote EarringsandLipstick]@Hospedia

It's like my soul is tired, if that makes sense?

It does. I was the same.

I could nearly guarantee that HRT will be transformational for you.

I felt the difference in a day. Honestly. I slept better after one night. [/quote]
God this is me.

I had premature ovarian failure & am now on combined HRT. I know that it takes 3 mths to see a difference but after 7 days I feel a bit more… sane? Does that make sense.

I went into surgical menopause after a total hystorectomy, had two weeks of total emotional hell and hot sweats post-surgery which I attributed to pain/trauma/stress, until a kind doctor gave me that magic patch. Felt better overnight.

It wasn't difficult for me to get HRT, my GP prescribed it. I was on it for a couple of years and then stopped. I think I was generally better after stopping, for one thing I had less headaches. The flushes returned but only in the evening and I could cope with that; they didn't last forever, gradually faded away. I'm very glad not to be on it now and my bones and heart are fine (so far, I'm 72).

It's not something anyone can really recommend or not, it depends on the individual, the severity of their peri symptoms, their lifestyle, etc, plus their doctor's opinion.

Can I ask, how do you know which one to go on? There seems to be so many types, it's so confusing!

after 7 days I feel a bit more… sane? Does that make sense

Definitely. Just before I started on HRT I had this awful fear that it wasn't hormonal and that I was actually insane. 😅

@Appalonia

Can I ask, how do you know which one to go on? There seems to be so many types, it's so confusing!

A good GP will advise but should have some alternatives eg Utrogestan didn't work for me at all so the GP changed that.

There's also a global shortage of a lot of patches / gel so that's another consideration.

Yes definitely recommend hrt.
I will say though that it took a while to find one that suited me.
Also some are prescribed as 2 different things oestrogen and progesterone separately. So double bubble on prescription charges.
I recommend getting an annual NHS card about £10 pm. Hrt doesn't come free. 😡
All the best 💐

I'm 52 & didn't realise how long I'd been peri until I started taking HRT last year. I now realise that it's been creeping up slowly since my mid 40s. HRT has made my mind sharper, given me energy & stopped extreme mood swings. My sex drive has also returned with a vengeance, my hair & skin are better than they've been for ages & despite gaining around a stone in weight, I feel really confident about how I look.

My GP has a womens practitioner & she prescribed it to me as soon as I asked. I think the key is to ask for it, not list symptoms & hope they suggest it.

Has anyone managed to lose weight by going on HRT? This is my main symptom and it's just not budging by other means.

@MiniDaffodils

It’s brilliant. It sorted out all my symptoms plus some issues that I hadn’t even twigged were menopausal symptoms.

Such as?

@TeeBee

Has anyone managed to lose weight by going on HRT? This is my main symptom and it's just not budging by other means.

You won't lose weight being on HRT but you'll likely sleep better, have more energy & more motivation to exercise.

I'm already exercising.

@TeeBee

Has anyone managed to lose weight by going on HRT? This is my main symptom and it's just not budging by other means.

Yes, I did. However, I had already started weight lifting, swimming and eating less sugar about three months prior to starting HRT. My weight only started shifting once I was on HRT and my hormones were balance. I lost around 10 kilos in a few months. But, HRT is not a magic bullet on its own, you will need to watch what you eat and exercise.

I have lost weight

It isn’t the HRT it’s that I have motivation from being on HRT before my only motivation was to find as much time as possible to slob around eating toast/biscuits and drinking tea. That’s they only thing I looked forward to

Thanks. Yeah, I'm already doing that. The usual tricks for losing weight just don't seem to be helping as much as they usually do. Already doing weights/HIIT so will keep up with that. Thanks. It might be worth a try.

It’s only a few pounds

But it’s something (not that I overly enjoy exercising or eating healthier but enjoying I feel I have the energy and motivation to look after myself better)

Thanks ladies, will give it a go.

Yes. Sent the lengthy online consult form the other day. Waiting for phone call to kick things off.

I follow

instagram.com/drmenopausecare?utm_medium=copy_link

And

instagram.com/menopausehealthdoctor?utm_medium=copy_link

After watching their free content on advice. They helped me decide on asking for help. And for what to write on the form and I feel informed now, ready for the phone call.

I know what symptoms I have. And pretty much what I need. And to give it a few months before switching products to get the right ‘fit’. One size does not fit all and there’s so many products out there

I’m already on local:topical oestrogen cream internally for mild bladder prolapse, vaginal dryness and uti’s. So this was the next step for me. Full hrt.

I’m 46

I'm 58 and possibly the fittest I have been for years.

I have also navigated some extremely difficult situations in the last two or three years, not limited to Covid, but including a career disintegration and the death of one parent and serious illness of another, as effectively the only child (other one is the far side of the world).

I couldn't have done it without HRT. My symptoms weren't terrible but I felt brain-dead and kind of limp. It's really worth trying.

My GP has suggested I might be in peri menopause so it's interesting to read everyone's experiences. I am 42 and absolutely sick of feeling like shit I can't cope with normal every day life! Keep getting UTIs, my anxiety is horrific, can't sleep, when I do sleep I sweat so much I have to snuggle a towel, my husband and kids no longer have heads due to me biting them off.... I could go on.

I feel totally clueless too like why do I know nothing about this?

I'm 59 and not had a period for 5 years thanks to Mirena. I do have moderate difficulties sleeping, brain fog, anxious about ridiculous stuff , aches and pains plus thinning hair. Am I too late for HRT and could it help me? My Myrena is still there but must be running low on hormones by now. Thanks

So, I am 55 with regular periods still. I had the usual range of symptoms, night sweats, no sleep, anxiety, fatigue, general sadness. Like a pp I put most of these down to the last two years of isolation, loss of three parents, and old age.

I took the decision to finally talk to GP to discuss whether it MIGHT me menopause or just general depression (although I am not really depressed). Within 2 mins she was reassuring me it was most definitely menopause, that I should most certainly go on HRT, and being 55 was enough of a reason! I should add she runs a private menopause clinic as well as being a GP, so not completely surprising that she is pro.

Anyway, two weeks in, I am sleeping through, no sweaty episodes, much more laid back. Just about to have first period, and it will be interesting to see if they are impacted. They were very heavy.

I am on one pump of Eostrogen gel, and 15 day of Progesterone.

Would love if it improved my hair loss. My hair is truly awful, very fine and now see through too. Also lost all my pubes .

I feel back to being me. I wish I had taken it years ago. I'm.56 so I reckon it's never too late!

It doesn't help with weight loss. I am fat as fuck and hate it. From my reading it seems excess cortisol might be the problem. I have actually stopped exercising as it was making no difference to me any more.