Menopause at 42! Is Hrt a must?

[Emerald13]

Hi! I m peri and I don t know how to handle all this stuff with hormones...I m afraid of breast cancer risk but I think that I don t have any other alternatives. My gyn prescribed me cyclacur, that gives me a period every month...should I try something else? He said to stay for 5 years...Polly perk are you around? :)

I am here:) It's a no brainer really. If you are lacking in estrogen for 10 years before average age of meno (52) you are at a much higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis- both of which are the main killers of older women. Using HRT before 50-ish does not add any cancer risk. You are replacing what you ought to have. Never heard of Cyclacur- what is in it?

Hi ! Thanks for replying! Cyclacur contains 2 mg estradiol and 0,5 mg norgestel, my doc recommend it only for 5 years, I think that I cannot handle with my symptoms without it...I m 1.70 m and 60 kg. 🌷

well it's good that your Dr is treating early menopause but they are totally wrong about the '5 year rule'. Don't know where they are coming from with that. No time limit on HRT and by 47 you would still be 5 years short of the average age. There is NO time limit on use of HRT. I've heard two top consultants tell me they have patients in their 90s using it.

Suggest that if they are still saying the same thing then, you change GPs or use the following info and show it. It's written by Dr Currie who was a former chair of the British Menopause Society.

menopausematters.co.uk/pm-management.php

My first gyn said that menopause is natural and to accept it! Terrible! My second gave me livial, he said that it is more friendly with the breast, I took it for a month and gave up and my third gyn said that Cyclacur is preferable for me but after 5 years the dangers of breast cancer are too high according the studies. I m a doctor too and I m confused. Hrt helps me to cope with my patients and gives my life back. Do you think I should try a micronized progesterone or stay on cyclacur. I don't have any symptoms...except my fear! :(

The HRT you are taking is only replacing the hormones that your body would be normally be producing if you hadn't started the menopause yet. According to my GP there is no additional risk for people who are prematurely menopausal (I started on HRT aged 40).

Thank you! Very much! I agree with you, I feel so young for menopause and my symptoms were awful! There are a lot scaring stories about breast cancer and hrt. At my country the majority of gyns are not willing to prescribe hrt.

If you are a dr, why not do some research yourself? I've spent many years 'educating' myself by reading almost everything there is out there on HRT and the risks of different types. You could read the NICE guidelines, the International Menopause Society report into women's midlife health, the KEEPs study, the Danish HRT study into CVD and osteoporosis, the French EN3 study into micronised progesterone...

There is a very clear pecking order of risks of BC and types of progestogens. First is MPA, then Norethisterone, then dydrogesterone, and lastly micronised progesterone.

Your risk is nil until you reach average menopausal age because as PP says you are simply replacing what you should have.

I m psychiatrist and I m afraid that I cannot understand everything I read about hormones and breast cancer. I feel more comfortable to find a trustworthy gyn and to share my experience with others who are on hrt already. Also menopause was a shock for me, I though I was pregnant...it s something absolutely new and horrible for me, I was diagnosed 4 months ago.

Emerald, I'm 43 am peri menopausal too, I started on hrt a few months ago after trying to persuade my gps for about a year that I was going through menopause. They took no notice until my periods stopped completely for several months.
Anyway, I finally saw an endo who was adamant any menopausal woman under the age of 50 without complications should be on hrt immediately.
It wasn't so much of a shock for me as I have a very strong family history of early and premature meno, I'm just glad it'll be over and done with soon!

The same! My first gyn was absolutely negative to check my hormones or to give me a prescription. My symptoms were too severe, insomnia, problems with insulin, muscles pains and forgetfulness. I could not go to my office, I stayed home crying. For me menopause is a nightmare. Hope to go on with hrt with no more problems. Are you ok with your symptoms?

Emerald if you are bright enough to be a psych you can certainly understand the research into HRT!

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2211383/

The research here is the same as what my gynae has told me.

Think you are right! I just lost my sanity lately! 😂 :))

I've never had any HRT as was afraid of the cancer scares and was completely through menopause at 40, starting at 38.
i do have a hell of a problem with facial hair though.

Sorry! Can you start hrt now? You are only 40! I think that hrt will have a lot of benefits for you! Sometimes our fears create more problems than the reality we have to face. My body doesn't produce any estrogen, I m thin and my symptoms were too severe. I think that with hrt you can protect your heart and your bones. Please let a trustworthy gyn help you! :)

gillybeanz Sun 17-Sep-17 16:49:34
I've never had any HRT as was afraid of the cancer scares and was completely through menopause at 40, starting at 38

There is no cancer risk with HRT for women using it before age 50. You are simply replacing what you ought to have had.

PLEASE see your GP and if necessary ask for a referral to a gynae.

Menopause at 38 is premature ovarian failure - POF. It's a condition that usually has a severe effect on health in later life- osteoporosis, heart disease and possibly dementia and Parkinson's disease.

I don't know if you saw a GP about it Gilly but you should now!

Even if you didn't have hot flushes etc, the long term effects of no estrogen are what is important. Women are protected (compared to men) from heart disease until they reach menopause at the normal age of around 50. Losing estrogen before 50 means your risks are higher..

This national charity has a lot of info on POF.

www.thedaisynetwork.org

Polly

I saw my gp, they did tests when I was 38 but I fell pg with dd just after and after she was born he said I shouldn't have hrt because risk of cancer and I smoke.
My gp is bloody ridiculous then, and I've never had cause to question him as trusted him.
I'm 51 now, I guess it's too late.
I'm scared stiff now but thank you so much for the info in your post

well, smoking is a far bigger risk for all cancers than HRT so not clear why he'd say that.

Smoking itself is not a reason not to take HRT.

If you are within 10 years of menopause then you can take HRT. If you are still only 51 and been without periods for 12 years, you ought to have a DEXA scan for your bones.

Being blunt, having an early menopause and smoking ( you still do?) is really adding to your risk of heart disease. (and osteoporosis) .

Have you had any support to stop?

Polly

I wake up in a sweat, nightmares about not being alive long enough to see important events in our youngest dd life.
I hate myself, the older kids have given up, dd still tries, I listen and do nothing.
I'm an addict and don't seek support because I don't really believe it will work.
Please anyone reading this and sorry for the huge derail, I am a strong and determined person and people say I can move mountains, but stopping smoking seems beyond me, it isn't bloody easy.
Please don't be horrible to me, I'm self hating enough for my addiction.

Gilly don´t blame yourself! Just relax, take a break of all these distressing thoughts and feel the life. Smoke if you like, enjoy all you have and don' t punish yourself for what you don't have. Stress leads us to illness! Everything else is just statistics! Don't forget to smile! 😘

It wasn't my intention to be horrible to you, Gilly.
From what you'd posted it seemed you were unaware of the risks of heart disease with premature menopause because your GP has never told you. Add to that the heart disease that occurs with smoking, I thought it relevant to mention it.

There is so much support for people who want to stop smoking via GPs.

If you really want to stop, why don't you see your GP and ask for help?

Polly

I am so glad you did and the fact you were so kind allowed me to express my thoughts that I don't usually express to anyone
I so hope I remember this and finally do something.

I am chilling now, will read articles get informed and make appointment for the right tests.

Thank you all so much. Am I the only oldie who is so ill informed?
You trust your doctor to make sure you have these tests and are informed correctly.

I have also met a few woman around their 50s now who went through meno early and were not advised to take hrt. I think the misleading study that came out 10/15 years ago which initially seemed to say that hrt increased risk of heart disease has a lot to do with this.
Emerald I don't/didn't have any obvious menopause symptoms, other than crazy then absent periods. No hot flushes/sweats/insomnia etc.
I did have crushing exhaustion, but I also have a couple of autoimmune conditions which cause that as well. I have noticed an improvement since starting hrt though, I'm probably back to about 50% of normal energy levels (from about 10-20%) so it's a great improvement for me.

Gilly Maybe think of this thread as a prompt to take control of your life and turn it round in terms of health? Now you are in possession of the facts you can choose whether to act or ignore. You could see it as the next exciting stage of your life when you can get rid of the fear and nightmares and give yourself a chance to have the best life you can. it's not too late- if you stop smoking now, you have a good chance of living healthily till your 80s. If you wait another 5 or 10 years, you won't.
Good luck