HRT and high blood pressure

[mylifetoo]

Hi, I’m 55 and my last period was September, so 7 months ago. They just stopped dead - August was normal, then stopped.

I’m having symptoms which seem to relate to the drop in oestrogen - flushes, extremely dry skin/ hair, bladder issues, anxiety, depression etc.

I went to my GP to ask for HRT, but as my blood pressure is high she refused. Instead she gave me beta-blockers for the blood pressure and for the symptoms of anxiety that I had mentioned.

After pushing for it I was also given Estriol (?) for vaginal dryness.

Is she correct in saying that I can’t have HRT in any form? I’m about to make a private appointment- any advice on what I should ask for?

No, high blood pressure isn't a contradiction for hrt according the new guidelines and you can ask for it! Your quality of life is a priority!

That’s what I thought, Emerald - but I did ask for it and she said an outright “no”.

I have young primary-school age children, and I’m really feeling old recently, trying to keep up with them.

I have also read some recent research about HRT having a protective effect on the heart. I think my GP is a bit out of date regarding the guidelines.

I am in the West Midlands - can anyone recommend a menopause specialist please?

Im not in Uk Mylife but I think that its a good idea to find an other GP! I tried a lot to find an informed one! :)

My thoughts exactly Emerald, that’s why I’ve decided to go down the private appointment route. It’s so difficult to get a GP to sit and discuss an issue at length at the moment here.

I even booked a double appointment to give me time to discuss things, but the Doctor was twenty minutes late and was trying to make up lost time!

I'm 59 and have been on HRT for the past 7 years. I also have recently been diagnosed as having high blood pressure. My GP is quite happy for me to continue taking HRT as long as I take the blood pressure medication as well. Hasn't been a problem at all.

My gyn is happy too for me to take hrt as long as I want, for life maybe! He is well informed, caring and male! I have my scans every 3 months and mammography yearly.

I asked a GP friend about the menopause and she said that when her time comes, she’s straight into the HRT! I’m delaying visiting my own GP about this as I don’t want to admit yet that I’m there. To me, I’m just a Peri-Menopausal woman IN A BAD MOOD .

I started hrt a year ago, at 41 and I regret not starting earlier and had left my body to struggle! I putted my health in danger with my denial. Im grateful for hrt, it' s the first in my life I feel grateful for a drug! :)

Well it seems like I was fobbed off by my GP. It’s a big medical centre and I chose a young female doctor, thinking she would be well-informed - but obviously not.

Does anyone know where I can download some information to take with me when I next go? I’ll make sure I see a different GP next time though.

www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=120913983

might help?

and if you can source the research this article talks about
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3106691/You-HRT-menopausal-women-high-blood-pressure-doctors-told.html

Thanks for those links Paris - I’ll go and do some Googling. I phoned my surgery earlier to ask if there was a Dr who was experienced in menopause etc, and I was told that I had already seen her!

If you have high blood pressure then it is important to control this anyway - if it is consistently raised? The first thing is to get a home monitor and measure it yourself. Most people's BP is raised at the docs. Mine was ridiculous - 130/80 when I last visited GP for my HRT review, when it's usually something like 105/65 ie quite low!

There are lots of ways to control BP naturally which is the best thing you can do for your health as you age, provided you have no underlying condition causing it.

Here is an example website How to reduce blood pressure or the British Heart Foundation

This is a separate issue from HRT but I wouldn't take beta-blockers but try to reduce it through these lifestyle and dietary changes (first).

There is some more information about blood pressure and hrt here.

I think the idea that it is a contra-indication comes from the contraceptive pill as I think the synthetic oestrogens may have risk of increasing blood pressure.