Friend said I'm cheating my way through the menopause

[LovingLalo]

I'm 47 and have been on HRT since February. I had reached a crisis point where I could hardly sleep, had anxiety over trivial things, I'd put on 2 stone as had no motivation to exercise anymore and I had no zest for life.
6 months later and I feel like I'm 37 again. My mood and skin are great, I'm back to a size 10 and exercising, most importantly I'm back to 8 hours unbroken sleep. It's been life changing for me.

Saw my friend yesterday who is also struggling and she knew I had started HRT. I encouraged her to go to her GP. Blunt response was no I'd rather do it naturally than cheat thanks.
I'm both gobsmacked and really hurt. Is this how some women think?

I

I would have told her that there are no points for being a fucking martyr.

Seriously though, she can choose her own journey through menopause without having to insult yours.

Did she criticize friends that had an epidural too?

she is probably just being silly.

Is taking paracetamol for a headache ‘cheating your way through a headache’?

Bonkers.

I wouldn't judge anybody for taking HRT but it wasn't something I considered.
Each to their own 🤔

I hope I never know when my is as I'm on the pill. Must be cheating too!

Like you I feel brilliant having more oestrogen again. Certainly more energy than in my mid thirties when I had young children!

Your friend is bonkers. It's not a card game.

Yes some women do this. A bit like some women go on about having had natural births without considering that maybe they were just lucky.

And I have met many people who prefer to have a headache than take a paracetamol and get on with it.

People are weird.

Speaking as someone who has big psychological issues surrounding medication, it sounds like your friend has big psychological issues surrounding medication.

I’m so glad you’re feeling better!

🤣🤣🤣 She’s menopausal!!

Let her crack on with doing it naturally if that's what she wants.

I hope she has never troubled the NHS or a dentist for any kind of unnatural interventions!

As the saying goes - with friends like that who needs enemies?

Keep doing you and socialise with people who are less judgemental (and bonkers).

She is bonkers. I am having sleep issues amongst other problems, and did try HRT but it made my hair start to fall out so had to step away from it. If it had worked for me though I would be grabbing it with both hands!

My friend actually did do this. She’s an ex friend now

Mine found me out despite the absence of periods to check. The hot flushes were OK until I realised every time I had one, I had a migraine.

That was me done.

I work in an office surrounded by women in peri. They all tell me at length about their terrible symptoms, they know I'm on HRT and honestly I just want to say 'if you don't want HRT fine, but stop telling me a load of out of date myths about it and stop telling me how awful your life is'

Lol. She’s batshit. Can’t abide martyrs - you do you and ignore if she starts moaning!

I'd would have replied sorry I don't want my bones to crumble to dust

Si what. She has every right to manage her menopause her way.

I can't live without hrt. It's a game changer for me

I'm so on board with cheating the menopause. But then as a small child I cheated death by taking antibiotics for pneumonia and infection by washing cuts, and Covid by wearing a facemask etc etc. If she'd rather suffer through it sounds like she'll have 0 friends left when she's through!

I take it she doesn’t cheat her way through aging by using moisturisers, or cheat her way to added grooming by using makeup, or cheat her way to being taller by wearing heels, or cheat her way to keeping dry by using an umbrella.

Honestly, some people.

She sounds nice 😳

She sounds a bit anti woman, so not friend material in my opinion!

I'm at the other end I'm off HRT but it was a godsend to me it was invented for a reason no woman should have to suffer if they don't want to, your friend isn't going to get a gold star for doing it "naturally " . My same age cousin prided herself on buying a bucket load of vitamins and homepathy to get her through it , must have cost her a fortune.

I wasn't judging her on her choice of how she deals with it @Maddy70 . It's just she was telling me how tired, stressed and awful she felt so I mentioned how HRT had helped me.
Also HRT is not medication as such, it's a hormone replacement i thought.

Oh ffs. Is taking painkillers for periods cheating?

If she doesn’t want to then that’s fine for her, same as giving birth without pain relief, but don’t tell other people what they should do.

Not everything is great with HRT but you pick the lesser evils. Sleep is my personal issue and it helps there - which in turn reduces migraines.

One of my friends has decided to go all natural for menopause, but is happily taking weight loss drugs - doesn’t make sense to me but her choice and none of my business!

More fool her. Each to their own, and all that, but saying you are "cheating" is a really horrible attitude. I don't think I'd be seeing much more of her!