What is gp likely to prescribe me?

[Dailystuck71]

I will be 47 in February. I had a hysterectomy 6 years ago but I left my ovaries.

The last 2-3 months have been pretty awful.

Hot flushes, horrendous night sweats [completely exhausted], vaginal dryness and sex is just awful. I’m grumpy, tired and feeling pretty low.

I am going to make an appointment with my GP but what is likely to be prescribed? Is there and HRT that most prescribe in the first instance?

I’d like to read more about it initially but really hate feeling this low.

Happy Christmas 😀😂

Would you call thyroxine or insulin drugs? Given to people who are deficient?

(I don't need the link, thanks.)

Yes of course I would. Link was for anyone interested.

I think it's important to differentiate between something that can only be had on prescription (in some countries) and something that is a drug.

99% of estrogen is body-identical- exactly the same molecular structure as our own. Drugs like aspirin or antibiotics or almost all other 'drugs' are man made compounds that would never be found in our bodies unless we put them in to help remedy a disease.

Insulin is on prescription but it's replacing what someone doesn't have.

This is my view of estrogen and body-identical HRT. Drugs are for disease - menopause is not a disease, it's a deficiency which if it happens too soon causes disease.

OP I’m 48 and had a hysterectomy in June (kept my ovaries) and by late August I was suffering terribly from most of what you described.

I’m now on my 4th pack of Essellte solo, within 4 days most of my symptoms had improved. I could’ve cried.

I’m now starting to suffer with vaginal dryness which I’m hoping my GP can help me with.

But don’t hesitate to get it sorted. I’m like a different person

Pollyperky you are talking bollocks. Insulin used by diabetics isn't milked from humans, it's created artificially using bacteria and yeast. HRT isn't harvested from young virgins it's manufactured in laboratories using a variety of sources including soya beans. We share 99% of DNA with chimpanzees but that doesn't make us identical.

Argy there is no need to be so rude.

The point is, insulin is something we already have in our bodies. So putting it back is not a 'drug' even though- yes, you are right!- it is made in a lab and you need a prescription to get it.

If you cannot see the difference between a supplementation or replacement - estrogen, progesterone, or insulin made to the exact molecular structure as our own - so be it.

silly point about chimps. The point is it's the 1% that makes us human.
The estradiol in HRT is exactly the same molecular structure as our own. Ask a dr if you don't believe me.

And if you can't see that a manufactured version of a hormone is different from an endogenous hormone there is no point in arguing.

You are missing the point.
If you understand - or can try to understand - chemistry, you'd appreciate that the molecular structure of something can be replicated in the lab.

This is all beside the point anyway. You mentioned side effects of HRT and seem to be anti it. (In other parts of Europe HRT can be bought over the counter.) And drugs that can be bought OTC can kill- 8 paracetamol in one go, and boom- overdose, nasty slow death.

If you continue to be confused, think about why consultants refer to some types of HRT as 'body-identical'. The clue is in the term.

The definition, source, or any other attributes, are really not the issue.

If meno symptoms are causing distress, then by all means consider alternative treatments, including 'alternative' treatments, to help you cope. The pros and cons are worth balancing.

But there are certain conditions where there are no pros and cons to consider. For example, if you are at an increased risk of osteoporosis then the only treatment currently available to prevent it is oestrogen HRT. It has been empirically proven to protect against osteoporosis, whereas none of the 'alternative' treatments have shown that they provide any protection, even if they do ease hot flushes and mood swings.

Mainstream HRT might make you feel a bit bloated. Any side effects will go away when you stop taking it. Osteoporosis will give you repeated fractures, chronic pain, increasing disabilities. It will never go away.

The debate between conventional and alternative meno treatments is worth having after 55 or 60. Not in early meno.

It's not just osteoporosis though...it's also heart disease and, in very young women, also Parkinsons. Heart disease- this is why women's rates of heart disease start to equal men's, post menopause because estrogen protects- it helps keep the arterial walls more elastic and prevents them hardening. Research done in Denmark on the effects of HRT on bones and hearts, also showed that women using it have 50% less arterial plaque. HRT also lowers the risk of bowel cancer and maintains bladder and pelvic health.
Heart disease is in fact the No 1 killer of women- easy to forget than and people tend to focus on cancer.

Yes of course lifestyle changes are essential. But for some women (myself) these are not enough. I was told by my consultant I was doing everything 'right' with diet, exercise, etc etc but still had debilitating symptoms.

Osteoporosis was just one example (the one I personally am most aware of through family history).