Hot Flush Hell - How long do they go on for and what to do?

[Losingmyreligion]

I'd always thought I'd go through the menopause without going on HRT but these hot flushes are getting really debilitating.

How long do these go on for? Should I go on HRT? If I do will I get 'periods' again? I can't remember when my last one was but probably less than a year ago. I'm 52.

Any thoughts?

Sorry to bring you the facts- but for some women they never ever go ( was told this by my gynae) and my mum still has them in her 80s.

The stats show that something like 25% of women have them for more than 10 years.

Having said that, some women never have them or only for a year or two.

You need to decide on HRT after a discussion with your dr. There are some but not many contra-indications which mean it would be unsafe for some women.

If you flushes are making life pretty difficult at work, home or socially, then you need to think about quality of life. It's not a 'failure' to take HRT any more than it would be a failure to take thyroxine.

You would get periods again yes, in the short term, because there are 2 types of HRT- sequential ( this means a 4-week cycle with a bleed at the end) or continuous which is no-bleed.

The no-bleed preps are for women over 54 or who have not had a period for 2 years ( this is because periods can appear again for up to 2 years.)

Hope this helps.

Holy crap: more than 10 years? I don't think so. I know I will have to see the GP but I'm sure some will know more in this area than others. Think I should see what they suggest then come away and research it before agreeing to anything. Thanks Pinkfrock.

I'm 54 and started flushes about 4 or 5 years ago. I still get them, but not so badly. I find them debilitating too. I wasn't given hrt so tried over the counter stuff, which seemed to work, at least for a while. I now use yoga, exercise, better eating to help combat the buggers. Thankfully, I don't sweat.

Different things work for different people ... at the start (a few years ago) I found Sage tablets helped but eventually they didn't and I am on HRT

A friend found natural estregen (spelling?) to be helpful but I didn't ... also there is Black Cohosh (Holland and Barrett are helpful)

Good luck and fingers crossed we are not in that 25% eek!

Wow Pink you are very knowledgable .. are you a GP? YOu sound better than mine lol

I'm not a GP but have been seeing a very eminent private gynae for a number of years so that is the source of my information, plus a book he wrote on the menopause.

Hmm. Thanks all. I'm interested to know why some would rather put up with it for years than go on HRT.

Hi Losingmyreligion, unfortunately HRT can’t be solution for everyone. You may decide NOT to take HRT for the following reasons: history of breast cancer, family history of breast cancer, high risk category related to breast cancer, history of thrombosis, family history of thrombosis, high risk category of thrombosis
Hormone therapy, particularly estrogen combined with a progestin, can make your breasts look denser on mammograms, making breast cancer more difficult to detect. Also, especially when taken for more than a few years, hormone therapy increases the risk of breast cancer.
The risks of hormone therapy may vary depending on whether estrogen is given alone or with a progestin, your age, type of menopause and time since menopause. All of these risks should be considered in deciding whether hormone therapy might be an option for you.

That's all true MrsT, but just to add some balance to that in case anyone is listening...!

(Are you a dr by the way?) Did you copy and paste part of your post?

There are some reasons why HRT shouldn't be used but apart from having a high genetic/ family history of breast cancer or recent thrombosis ( or liver disease) they are few and far between. The link to strokes it only relevant in the first year and is very rare for women using topical HRT ( patches/ gels and not tablets.)

Breast density may be affected but again, not always. Some women have dense breasts anyway regardless of HRT.

HRT increases the risk of BC when taken for more than a few years- not always. If you are basing this on the WHI and the MW studies they have been shown to be flawed. One study- the KEEP study- showed no such increase and a Danish study, which focused primarily on cardio vascualr outcome on HRT, showed no more BC in women after 17 yrs on HRT.
Women taking oestrogen-only HRT if they have had a hysterectomy have lower risk of BC.
There is some thinking that bio-identical HRT using natural oestrogen and natural progesterone ( as opposed to synthetic progestogens) do not increase BC risk, and that the risk is highest ( this is shown in various research trials) is with combined HRT where oestrogen and synthetic progestogens are taken together.

On the plus side, HRT protects from bowel/colorectal cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Lots to think about!

This is some info from the Keeps study which might be of interest.
It's worth reading because it puts the risks into context- compared with other risks and at the end of the page it mentions the possible lower risk by using natural progesterone.

www.keepstudy.org/why_keeps/breast_cancer.cfm

losing I asked, but doc refused. No reason. Said I should "just put up with it".

Really, bugger? That's not good enough. You shouldn't take that lying down.

Pinkfrocks, is natural progesterone available over here now? I read about it a few years back (perimenopause, oh the innocence) and it was not available on the nhs.

losing you're right. I should have jumped up and down a bit. Know better now, though.

losing- yes it is. It's marketed as Utrogestan capsules in 100mg and 200mgs. You can get it on the NHS.

bugger your dr cannot legally refuse you treatment that is available.

The chief medical officer recently said that patients should have drugs and treatments available and be assertive with their drs.

Drs are not allowed to refuse treatment ( for no good medical reason) just because they 'don't believe' in something.

You need to go back, and/ or change your GP.

Boots Menolieve helped me.

The other thing that really makes a difference though is keeping the carbs down - especially alcohol. Too much caffeine is also something that can trigger them.

I started the flushes at about 48, sporadically, and they got worse around 52-54; I'm 55 now and rarely suffer. Haven't had a period for about 3 years.

pink I wish I'd realised that then! His concerns were to do with increased cancer risk. He tried to warn me off over the counter stuff too. I now know that this belief is not so widely held. Bloody quack!

The point is bugger that it wasn't his sole decision.

The Chief Medical Officer made a statement - think it was in January-ish this year- that drs and patients are a partnership, and he urged patients to be more demanding and take control of their treatment, rather than be domineered. (Not meaning you were.)
Unless drs know there is a huge personal risk to someone's health, they are supposed to offer treatment as long as they explain the risks.

The British Menopause Society- which comprises of some of the UK's senior gynaecologists- now recommends that HRT for women aged 5-60 ( and above where needed) has benefits for overall health that outweighs the risks.

Their statements on this are on their website- in case anyone wants a read.

50-60!!

pink to be fair, this was a few years ago and I wasn't particularly well-informed. I feel much better now and I found my own way of dealing with the symptoms, which I'd rather do anyway.

Okay- understand bugger.
But at the same time, some women find self-help not enough, especially if they continue to work into their 60s in client-facing roles for example, and still have poor quality of life.

Very useful thread to have stumbled upon - I'm thinking of seeing my doctor about this simply because the hot flushes are disrupting my sleep so much. Good to have pros and cons set out. My major worry is that I react badly to the pill (bad depression) and so far seem to have been free of mood swings as part of the peri-menopause... But I guess if HRT does affect my mood, I can simply stop taking it.

pinkI'd definitely push for treatment if I had my time over. But at the time, I was told "no" and that was that. I agree that many women's lives are blighted far more than mine was. I probably got off quite lightly, thinking about it.

Another thing: sometimes it's not clear whether the symptoms are directly attributed to the menopause . For example, symptoms such as mood swings , tiredness etc could equally be part of a more general feeling of malaise, and not directly attributable to the menopause. I often felt I was exaggerating my symptoms, and put them down to not eating properly or not getting enough sleep. The more specific symptoms such as flushes and loss of periods are better known and easier to recognise.

I thought I was going mad when I got the panicky feelings and night terrors. It didn't occur to me that they could be symptoms of the menopause.

What age are you now bugger?
I am on HRT and have tried to reduce the dose and the symptoms come back...
I didn't start it till I was almost 54 and had tried all lifestyle changes at that point.