Scared of HRT

[NickyNora]

I started HRT last October after blood tests showed I was perimenopausal at 43.
No real symptons apart from tiredness & achy joints. GP gave me Femoston 1/10.

It sent me mental... quite literally. Never experienced anything it. Severe anger & rage. Screaming, smashed my kitchen up, smashed my sons xbox & that was final straw as i really scared the dc.

GP referred me to a Menopause Clinic. My FSH was 30 & LH 13.
She prescribed 2 pumps of Estrogen Gel & Micronised Progesterone Vaginal capsules (200mg)to be used for 14 days.

I'm terrified of reacting to the progesterone. I didn't realise it was to be used vaginally until I picked the prescription up from the chemist.

I asked for the smallest dose of progesterone possible. The Dr recommended a Mirena but i am really wary as I'm scared I will react to it & won't be able to remove it.

The hot flushes have really kicked in. My eyes are dry. Joints are really painful. I'm very moody etc. I totally understand the importance of HRT at my age but I'm scared of reacting to the progesterone. I really am not keen on using it vaginally for 2 weeks of the month.

Anyone else use progesterone this.way?

I use 3 pumps of gel and 200mg of progesterone for 12 days like you. It is standard treatment, i take it vaginally, i am surprise they asked you to take it this way as normally doctors make you take it orally which apparently can give bad side effects. I have taken it vaginally like the majority of women i talk to, so it is common. The progesterone acts as a relaxant, so it makes me sleep super well, alway chilled and happy on it, absolutely no side effects, no crazy moods whatsoever, in fact i miss the progesterone phase when i am on the gel only as i tend to become more 'wired', more hyper but not bad, i just notice it. However i hear of many women who struggle on the progesterone because it sends them depressed or crazy, but remember the gel and this micronized that you have been prescribed progesterone is the best tolerated program, don't be scared.

If it doesn’t work for you you can easily stop it. But give it a go. The first hrt I tried sent me loopy. Oddly femeston works for me.

I really am glad I persevered till I found one that worked for me.

Also my gp suggested Angus castus for The Rage,...I nearly killed my dh with a frying pan at the worst of it.

Why are you scared of the progesterone? It won't necessarily have the same effect on you as the one in Femoston. Try not to worry - it's called catastrophising= thinking the worst before it's happened.

Are you in the UK? Reason for asking is that if this is an NHS GP, Utrogestan used vaginally if not licensed - it's only licensed to use orally.

HOWEVER, private consultants can prescribe off-licence and some suggest it is better to use it vaginally. ALSO there are many women who get Utrogestan from their GP and 'do their own thing' by using it vaginally, as it tends to have fewer side effects on the digestive system.

You don't HAVE to use it vaginally. Most women don't. I've used it orally for 5 years although my private consultant allows me the choice. For anyone having an active sex life, using it for 2 weeks vaginally is not going to work for various reasons unless you are inserting it after the deed as it has to be used at bedtime.

One other point- the 200mgs capsule is no longer available (unless for fertility use.) Assume you have got 100mgs capsules and have to use 2 each time?

you don't HAVE to use HRT - millions of women in the past (like myself) just got on with the hot flushes, the mood changes etc - it will pass. Try yoga, meditation, herbal remedies.

I know nowadays everyone wants 'a cure for every ill' and a wonderful pleasant life without difficulties or problems - if only that were possible.

If think I’d have been in real trouble without hrt, probably divorced, endless sleepless nights...

Oh, and I eat well, rarely drink, do Pilates and meditate.

Lucky you if you don’t need hrt.

ollie The OP is 43. Perimenopause at this age is considered a medical condition which requires medical treatment.

The average age of menopause is 52. For women whose estrogen levels drop before 47, the treatment is HRT.
Premature and early menopause carries a high risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, dementia and even Parkinsons disease.

It's not about hot flushes.

Thank goodness her GP is on the ball because some women with early menopause don't know the risks and find they fracture their spines in their 50s and live the rest of their lives with severe pain and disability.

NickyNora, I would take the tiredness and aching joints over the side effects you are having of HRT, sounds awful.

I'm 45, and 2 years ago I had peri menopause symptoms - insomnia, PMS rage, low stress resilience. I spent a lot of time researching menopause and what I could do. My GP was very sympathetic, but we agreed that HRT was probably not going to solve anything. I am much better now, I am taking B6 after a kinesiology session, I go swimming and then have a sauna 3 x weekly and I have learned to listen to my body. I sleep well again and I only have a bit of PMS insomnia. I no longer have the PMS rage. My stress resilience if much better. Sadly I am also getting divorced - although that's another story, it's also very much part of the story.

I think your tiredness and aching joints could be much improved with exercise. Find an exercise you enjoy, perhaps swimming like me? Nothing too strenuous. And stick to it.

Also read Sara Gottfrieds The Hormone Cure, this book changed my life.

I am personally very suspicious of a medicine industry that wants all women over 40 to take medication for what is a natural progression. So was my GP.

Sorry just to clarify I've been prescribed Utrogestan Vaginal 200 mg.

It states clearly for Vaginal use.
I am in the UK. It was prescribed at an NHS Menopause Clinic.

Sadly my relationship is breaking down the menopause has been a contributory factor. I really hoped the HRT would help with lack of libido. Using these capsules is really inconvenient!

There was no I information in the capsules box so no idea how long I need to lay down for, after inserting the capsule nor if it will be totally absorbed etc.

I have dc with SN so rarely spend more than 3/4 hrs in bed before getting up to them.

Thanks i exercise 4 times a week. I also have hypothyroidism so i presumed most of my symptons were due to that.

I'm very healthy. Eat well. Still a,size 10 after 6 dc. Look after myself well as i have to care for 2 ds with complex needs.

Do you think that the stress of looking after your DC with SN might be a contributing factor to you not feeling well?

I've been doing it for 13 years so Yes, I'm tired from caring for them.
But i used to be able to drive without dropping asleep or to sit down to watch TV & not fall asleep. Go go cinema & actually watch a film about a year ago I became really exhausted.

Now I literally fall asleep if I sit down!

misscph1973 I'm not currently taking HRT I was describing how I had been whilst on HRT. Yes, the side effects of that particular HRT were worse then the actual symptons of perimenopause.

I am personally very suspicious of a medicine industry that wants all women over 40 to take medication for what is a natural progression. So was my GP

You can be as suspicious as you like, and take responsibility for your own choices, but both you are your GP (whose attitude is shocking) are ignoring the plain facts that being without estrogen for years before you would be naturally, causes long term health issues in many women.

The medical advice is women with premature or early menopause need to use HRT up to the age of 52 at least so they are replacing what they should have.

Early menopause is not a 'natural progression'. It's a condition which requires treatment. Without estrogen, there is a high risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, because you are without your natural levels of estrogen 10 years early.

It's not the medicine industry it's science.

OP I would go back to the clinic or see your GP and ask for Utrogestan 100mgs which are meant to be used orally. The ones you have been given are not available for menopause. I've used utrogestan for over 5 years. For 3 years I had 200mgs capsules which I swallowed. Then they were phased out and only 100mgs are available. The 200mgs are used vaginally for fertility issues such as preventing miscarriage.

Would it make alot of difference if I use them?
I can't understand how a doctor would have made this mistake.

My honest opinion is that you have been prescribed incorrectly. If you read this www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/3244 200mgs available now is for fertility treatment.

If your dr who prescribed these wanted to prescribe 'off licence' ( vaginal use not oral) they ought to have explained why. It could be because vaginal use is less likely to cause side effects.

However, this should have been discussed AND you given the choice, because women who are sexually active can't be doing with vaginal capsules for half of every month.

It's really not good enough to have this kind of treatment from professionals who aren't doing or saying the right things!

You need to either see your GP or go back to the clinic, whichever is easier. OR you could swallow the 200 mgs which is what I did for years till they were discontinued.

The contents of the capsules are identical whether they are 200mgs or 100mgs. You won't do any harm by using them vaginally, (or swallowing them) but the point is, do you want to use them vaginally? You said not.

No I don't want to use them vaginally.
This is the 6th doctor I've seen & I now have no confidence in doctors.

I told her how difficult things are with so
Do. She never discussed this with me. She didnt mention it. I only realised when I read the prescription at the chemist.

They are very big I doubt I could swallow them!

I've been looking for help for 10 months now. I dont feel comfortable going back to my GP.

I will wait & see if my symptons get worse. I really have had enough of doctors & hormones!

Thankyou all for your advice esp Polly

The ones I have now are about the size of a petit pois. That's 100mgs. The 200mgs were about twice the size but not much bigger than a smallish peanut I'd say.

Personally I think you should go back to the menopause clinic OR your own GP. Say that you were not given the choice of using orally or vaginally and that you want the 100mgs to use orally.

You really do need to use HRT at 43 if your hormone levels are low.

Give it another try.

Polly, my GP would not test for low estrogen as she said that the tests are nor reliable as hormones fluctuate in the course of a day/week/etc.

I understand that you are very experienced wit this kind of thing and that you are on HRT.

I know a couple of women my age who have peri menopause symptoms, and the one thing we have in common is that the symptoms can be explained with stress combined with age. Our GPs have had very differing opinions on diagnosis.

I think that society has very hig expectations of how well women should cope, and if they don't, then it must be an illness and medication is prescribed. If you are in your 40s it is assumed that is it peri menopause and you get given HRT. But some doctors do recognise that lifestyle has a lot to say.

Menopause happens at different ages, not when you are 52. I think it's simplistic to say that any woman under the age of 52 should not be in menopause, and if they are, they need to go on HRT.

I’m 42 and on hrt too. My gyn made his diagnosis based more on my symptoms and less on my hormones. The symptoms cannot be explained with stress or age! I was fine few months ago! Suddenly everything changed! Insomnia, night sweats, brain fog, aches, intolerance to insulin...For me primary ovarian failure and early menopause are hormonal imbalances and need therapy. Fortunately there is a therapy, hrt and unfortunately it has risks as every therapy. It not a choice, it’s a necessity!

misscph Are you in the UK because it doesn't sound as if you are or that your drs are following the NICE menopause guidelines?

Perimenopause can begin 10 years before menopause (that's when periods stop.) So it can start in the early 40s .

Some women have symptoms, some don't. (I didn't start HRT till I was 52 .)

Yes, stress and lifestyle can make peri symptoms worse.

But surely you aren't saying that all peri symptoms are caused by this? Because that's not so. Symptoms occur when periods become irregular and ovarian function starts to decline. This is biology- nothing to do with lifestyle.

Women whose periods stop before age 40 are defined as having a premature menopause and their condition is called POF- premature ovarian failure.

Women whose periods stop between 40 and 47 (in the western world) are having an early menopause. The average age- I said this before- is 52. The average takes into account women from 45 - 55.

Both premature and early menopause are treated with HRT to prevent long term serious diseases that are linked to loss of estrogen.

I don't think you are in the UK simply because if you were and read this forum you'd see that many women have to fight for HRT from their drs! It's not dished out willy-nilly.

POF is a medical condition. Just like diabetes or thyroid disease where people need insulin or thyroxine- that is why estrogen is the treatment. Nothing to do with lifestyle.

Polly, I am in the UK, but I am not British. Maybe that's why my views are different. Maybe I was lucky (at least in my view) with my GP (she is British).

I think it's important to explore other options and causes before deciding that this is early menopause.

I have read forums and I know about the NICE guidelines. I have read many books about menopause as well.

You don't seem very open to anything but HRT.

Look, if you don't like what I post, don't bother reading misscpf

I'm getting a bit tired of some posters coming on here and attacking me in a personal way. If you get a kick out of that I'm sorry for you.

Going back to the OP, and the topic, I am reporting medical views that HRT is necessary for premature and early menopause. These are not ideas dreamed up by me . If you don't believe in early and premature menopause that' s your choice.

I still think you are confused. There are many ways to deal with perimenopause that some women may decide to do instead of HRT.

We aren't talking about peri menopause - the issue is premature and early menopause.

I had a healthy lifestyle, created a good work life balance, and did everything else possible before using HRT at almost 53. So please don't start flinging around accusations at me without knowing the full story.

I am sorry that you feel that I am attacking you, Polly. That was not my intention. I do think that you are being a bit rude to me and that you are not interested in a discussion or anyone else's opinions.

Like yourself, I speak from my own experience. Could we agree to respect each others opinions and experiences?

Hi miss! I guess that you are not in meno yet so you cannot understand the severity of symptoms. I agree that symptoms maybe are not due to early meno but if we talk about POF or early meno it does require treatment! And immediately! Some of the consequences could be irreversible and too dangerous. That’s because younger and slim women have a lot of estrogen receptors and their body trying to find estrogen attacts to many systems as brain, bones and skin. I´m not sure if you are lucky with your GP. I wasn’t lucky with my first gyn, he didn’t care and he didn’t offer me a treatment for my early meno. Fortunately I find treatment and I’m on hrt. The other thing I’d like to share is about how everyone wants to live his life. I don’t like suffering and feeling so unlucky for my early meno. I want to work and to live my life to the fullest! I’m not in UK and not British too! (you can understand it from my poor English I guess) 😂