Yes my experience was pretty good. Heard from a couple of friends it was hard -one ended up going private, the other had to take antidepressants first 🤯. So was a bit worried. Phoned one afternoon asking for an appointment about perimenopause and got told to ‘make a normal appointment’ 😒.
a month later I plucked up the. Courage and sat waiting at 8.30 on the phone. For a call back from the GP. Got some bloods taken. Made another appointment. Spoke to GP. They asked about symptoms. Spoke about what I thought. I’d already done some research so sort of knew what I might need. I was having really bad heart palpitations so I had to have an ECG. Then they sent me a pdf “menu” of what I could trial. Then o sent an email to the GP with what. I wanted and picked up the prescription. Pharmacist recommended the yearly plan (£20) and I bought it there.
I Went for oestrogen gel and progesterone tablets.
First month: loved the oestrogen (cleared up aching joints, made me feel happier, less grey). Hated progesterone (although it made me sleep like a baby for the first time in so long) made me feel even more anxious. Ended up taking it vaginally (not recommended- but I knew. It was the. Same progesterone I’d taken vaginally when having IVF).
Second month -bit better
Third month-good. Not back to my old self but I read up on it a lot and realised it’s not a LACK of hormones that’s the problem - it’s that they are intermittent, so there might be a natural surge and then nothing, so your body tries to regulate (hello rage!) . Whereas on HRT you have regular hormones which my body adjusted to after 3 months and loved. But there are still times when my body is in overdrive and I’m crying/angry/paranoid/feel incompetent but I can see it’s the additional hormones and can breathe.
I would say though, it’s a faff and if you’re not -edgy/wired/slightly broken I’d wait until menopause and just do it a bit for bone density.
Good luck!