Menopausal : should I take hrt?

[Leavemealonepls]

I'm 52, periods been getting further part for a couple of years and last one was 4 months ago.

I feel crap Ache all over, get phantom period pains without bleeding, I'm emotional, forgetful, clumsy, anxious and depressed, get hot flushes, my vagina is very dry and I've no libido.

I'm going to try and get an appointment with a female doctor but in the meantime wanted to ask about how you all are getting on with hrt.

My main concerns are that I couldnt take the combined pill due to the occasional migraine. Isn't hrt similar to the combined pill? So maybe I can't take it?

What are the side effect risks? I'm a chronic worrier and suffer a little with health anxiety so don't want to constantly worry about heart attacks, strokes etc.

I'm currently using vagifem but it's not helping much.

Finally any recommendations? I've heard assume hrt preparations are made from horse ingredients which I don't like the sound of.

Sorry if these are stupid questions .. I know how quickly I'll be in and out of the surgery without a chance to ask questions. .. even if I could remember them!

TIA

Suggest you have a good read of the site Menopause Matters (written by the chairman of the British Menopause Society.) Looks like you need to really do some reading about it all.

I'd not get hung up on seeing a female dr- no guarantee they are better - some posts here show they are worse!

There are very few types of HRT now made from horse urine- those starting with Pre- Premarin and Prempak. Horse urine is known as conjugated equine estrogens - CEE.

Have a read of the MMatters site under Treatments/ HRT/ Preparations for the full list and ingredients. Apart from those I've mentioned the rest are made from plants.

There is no risk of heart attack with HRT - see this link.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/08/hormone-replacement-therapy-reduces-risk-early-death-new-research/

Stroke risk is tiny and transdermal HRT has no greater risk than your own individual risk without HRT.

Thanks. I've been reading through the website.

It's good to know few hrt preparations are made from horse urine.

I'll make an appointment and see what the doctor says.

Like you I never really got on with the pill, but I'm fine on hrt. Apparently it's a much lower dose than the pill, and the hormones they use are more natural (estriol in my case plus a nearly bioidentical progestin - I take Femoston). Nothing to do with horses!

I have suffered from migraines in the past, but taking this I've had a couple of minor headaches in the first month or two and that was it.

Like you I have health anxiety, but I've done lots of reading and am now convinced that modern hrts are pretty safe. (And generally my anxiety is a lot better on it, which also helps!)