To just stop HRT

[ArtesianWater]

I am 44 and have been on HRT for a little over a year. Long story but my GP was never quite sure it was peri - in particular, I had long covid and the symptoms (mainly irregular periods) began during that. I asked my GP if the covid could have messed up my hormones and she said it was perfectly possible but the medical profession doesn't yet understand the full impact of long covid. After other investigations she suggested an HRT trial and it really helped. I never questioned that it was the right thing to do.

Fast forward a year and I realised the other week that my boobs are constantly sore to the point of really uncomfortable. I also feel not quite 'me', I know that's a really vague description but I'm not sure how else to explain it and had a weird instinct to reduce the oestrogen gel. I did and felt much better. Then I skipped it one night and felt even better. Then I let the 'break' run for a few days. It's now been about 4-5 days without it and so far I feel much better. My boobs have gone back to normal, I think I have more energy and feel 'lighter', strange though that may sound. I am having an unexpected period but that's not surprising really.

Obviously I will go and see my GP, but it can take weeks to get an appointment and I wondered if anyone else has ever stopped HRT of their own volition? Is it ok to do and does anyone have any advice on how to monitor / manage coming off it if I decide that I don't need it?

Yes you can stop HRT. The unexpected period is the usual withdrawal bleed you get with noncontinuous HRT. You should still see the GP to report the side effects of the type of HRT you were on so that can be in your record in case you want to try it again in a few months/years.

I've done the same. And I remember the GP saying its fine to just 'stop' if necessary when I went to get hrt prescribed.

Im 41 and pushed for HRT in the hope it would help me to stay asleep through the night. Unfortunately it's had no impact, but is - I think - making me feel highly anxious and disassociated- like I'm floating above myself, looking down.

I've stopped and will stick to maintaining a good lifestyle instead for as long as I can, as a way to manage peri. I don't think I particularly have peri symptoms yet anyway.

When I stopped, it just triggered an early period, but that's it.

Yep. I have just stopped because like you I feel “not quite me.” Am monitoring symptoms and will go back to GP if I think I need to go back on and tinker with the HRT. Meds are meant to help and our bodies are individual and complex. Just keep a note of how you feel; you can change your mind again later.

Oh wow, I thought I would get a lot of answers telling me I am being stupid!

It's weird because I thought HRT was a miracle when I first went on it a year ago. Now I am beginning to wonder whether the Covid (not peri) messed up my hormones and that I may not need the HRT after all. I guess I won't be able to tell until I have been off it for some time.

I was similar in that I had other stuff going on (v stressful life events causing anxiety and heart palpitations and insomnia) as well as lots of antihistamines. Out the other side of both of those so trying to figure out what my baseline is like without anything. Am trying to support with lifestyle stuff too (going out for a walk/run right now!). Good luck OP

I took it for 2 years then stopped.
made me feel terrible for a lot of the time.
put on weight, incredibly huge painful breasts, palpitations,. Had to take the utrogestan vaginally otherwise it made me feel like I was having a nervous breakdown.
Instead I am low carbing , doing weights, getting my sleep sorted out and taking various supplements. Feeling much better. And stronger. It’s nice not to constantly be thinking about it to be honest!

I was put on hrt to try and deal with extreme fatigue. It was absolutely awful - it gave me hot flushes and made me worse. So stopped taking after a few weeks. I was finally diagnosed with CFS ME a few months later. There are overlaps between CFS ME and long COVID, so personally, not surprised that hrt didn't help your symptoms.
Keep persusing treatment for your long COVID and hopefully that will help you.

I am pretty sure I am over 90% of the Covid symptoms now. I was basically ill for about 2.5 years. The HRT really did help me feel better last year. What I am now hypothesising is that it could have corrected a hormonal imbalance that was caused by the severe Covid (+ wider life stresses) and not perimenopause. I am healthy and life is better now, hence my wondering if the hormones are no longer needed.

Really helpful to hear of others' experiences - thank you.

I stopped my patches a few months ago as I was having an allergic reaction to them suddenly (burning, itching, redness) and was ripping them off after a few hours as I couldn’t bear it! Thought I’d be okay but my menopausal symptoms are all coming back so finally sorted a new prescription yesterday. Just to watch out for returning symptoms!

I felt awful on it, so stopped. My main symptoms were anxiety and insomnia. I've made lifestyle changes to deal with the anxiety and 3mg of melatonin gives me 8 hours sleep which has been life changing! I am really careful with what I eat and take a few supplements.

Coincidentally I have suffered with ME/CFS for a long time. I wonder is there some correlation there?

I stopped after it gave me sore boobs - anxiety and hives
I do worry about my bone density as I age though

For now, I'm going to stick with managing my health using exercise (in particular strength training), diet, vitamins and creatine.

I'm encouraged by my mum and step mum saying they breezed through the menopause without any symptoms. You never hear positive stories about it anymore!

Yes, I am generally pro-HRT based on current evidence, but I was put on it at age 42 and am questioning whether there is any need for me to be on it yet. My mum went on it around age 49 and had a very typical menopause in her early 50s I believe. I would definitely want to be on it when the time is right.

My GP said that one of the things that makes peri diagnosis so tricky is that any serious illness can trigger a hormonal imbalance.

Potentially controversial opinion, but I am wary of HRT. Mostly in the sense that it indicates that women’s bodies are not able to function in their natural state without medical intervention. I feel that female bodies are pathologised our entire lives - monitored, poked, checked, as if we are constantly in a state of pre-disaster. Whether that’s smear tests, breast examinations, pregnancy care, or menopause and now peri-menopause.

It feels bizarrely controlled and patriarchal.

I had the same experience of suddenly feeling awful on HRT so I stopped. After a couple of months I was an angry depressed sleepless mess so I started again but maintained a lower dose and that has worked really well for me. HRT doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment either way - you can choose to pick it up and put it down. And perhaps you don’t need it at all at the moment or in the future and that’s great if so.

I don't disagree with this although it is a whole other thread!

I stopped, no issues at all. I had a private prescription and just felt that it wasn’t doing much for my symptoms anymore. I think changing my job, losing 3 stone and joining a gym did more!

I still sleep badly but that didn’t change. I still have hot flushes but I deal with them.

Where do you get your melatonin?

Agree with this.

@PistachioTiramisuLimoncello
i get it on prescription from GP. Readily available over the counter in the US if you are travelling or know someone who is. Actually you can probably buy it online.

I've experimented with the dosage, initially started on 5mg, but it left me feeling hung over. 3mg is the sweet spot for me. Before I would wake multiple times a night and often not sleep past 5 am. I felt dreadful which had a knock on affect with the anxiety. I feel so much better now. I'd highly recommend trying it.

Out of interest, OP, where was the progesterone part of your hrt coming from? You mentioned the oestrogen gel, have you stopped the progesterone as well?

@Pamspeople I was taking separate progesterone tablets. I stopped the HRT when I was in the oestrogen-only part of my cycle and have not continued with the progesterone since.

@asparagusffern how long did it take for you to start experiencing symptoms again? I am now two weeks without any HRT and am feeling really well. The only minor thing I might have noticed is some very subtle hot flushes, but they have been so subtle that it could also just be due to getting warm in the hot weather. I am being vigilant in case I need to reintroduce the HRT but if I continue feeling the way I do now (i.e. perfectly normal) then I would prefer not to be on HRT until I'm older.

I (most likely) had Covid pretty early on with an infection that started just as the lockdowns did, and then went on with symptoms for about 9 months. It completely messed up my hormones and I suspected for a while that it had triggered early-ish menopause (I was 41 at the time) as my periods went nuts and I always felt so much worse around them. It took forever, but I eventually figured out that the problem was post-viral thyroid issues and a thyroid specific diet, along with maca and berberine supplements took away any lingering issues. I'm pretty much late 40s now and it's all completely back to normal with not a hint of menopause yet.

oh wow - thanks for sharing that @alittleprivacy. It does sound like a similar situation. what kind of diet are you following? is a 'thyroid diet' something i can find via google or something your dr helped put together?