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Menopause

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Original poster

Problems HRT didn't fix for you

45 replies

lljkk · 05/08/2018 18:56

I'll be called GF but I'm just curious, honest. It's good to be informed, right(?)

Did you have any ageing or menopause-linked problems that HRT utterly didn't fix, even if HRT helped in other ways?

What problems were they and what if any other fixes did you try, was there a solution in the end?

OP posts:

BabyTeeth · 05/08/2018 18:59

Also interested.

AnotheBloodyChinHair · 05/08/2018 19:05

Interested

LeftRightCentre · 05/08/2018 19:06

My horrible skin. A Dermaflannel and Differin gel sorted that out.

Original poster

lljkk · 05/08/2018 20:56

Differin gel was for acne?

OP posts:

Emerald13 · 06/08/2018 09:24

My muscle tone is not as good as before peri and I try harder to fix it. Although my skin is much better on hrt than years ago.
My gyn insists that age ages us and not meno. I think that I agree with him and I have noticed that after 40 our body functions with a different way and we have to change some things to help it.
Regarding our psychology it changes too. I feel more free to express myself, to have more sex and not to postpone things anymore! We just live once! It is the best benefit from my early meno! :)

Hassled · 06/08/2018 09:30

I don't think HRT fixed any of my ageing problems, but then I didn't really expect it to. I still have the crepey shit skin I started to develop a good few years ago - HRT isn't holding back the tide. But it helped enormously with the awful mood swings I was having - I'd spent the year before I started on HRT either furious or sobbing.

Emerald13 · 06/08/2018 12:27

Hrt, I think, helps only with hormonal aging. There are too many others aspects of aging. It depends on our genes, our lifestyle, our biological age, stress, diet, exercise etc. Regarding hormonal aging I think hrt prevents it, if not completely reverses it.

LeftRightCentre · 06/08/2018 14:27

Yes Differin was for the acne. Totally cleared it up. The flannel helped too.

MedSchoolRat · 06/08/2018 19:58

I'm surprised how few RCTs I found.

Discoisabelle · 07/08/2018 00:24

Hrt sorted all low mood symptoms, energy levels, itchy skin, dry and thin hair, digestive issues and my sex drive is back to quite high.

Hrt didn't help my joint aches or restless legs and it is still not helping my ravenous appetite !

SofiaAmes · 07/08/2018 00:29

I was switched from birth control pills (taken for the hormones) to HRT at age 54. It was an unmitigated disaster. All the things that the BCP's were helping with returned while taking the HRT. This included: severe bladder leakage, migraines, asthma attacks, heavy painful periods (apparently I wasn't menopausal after all), cysts, depression and severe joint (SI) issues. I think that for some women, HRT is enough. For me I needed more than the HRT. It also didn't help that I was allergic to the skin patches and had to replace them with pills so wasn't getting the proper delivery of the HRT hormones.

SofiaAmes · 07/08/2018 00:30

Whoops, forgot to say that after a year of HRT, I went back to BCP's and am back to "normal" without all the above listed symptoms. Only major downside is lack of libido. I'm working on finding a fix for that.

notapizzaeater · 07/08/2018 00:46

Not cured my bladder issues but did cure my restless legs

NickyNora · 07/08/2018 00:47

Labido. HRT hasn't helped at all.

QueenoftheNights · 07/08/2018 07:02

Sofia how does your dr feel about you being on a combined pill at 54+? The risks of clotting are higher than with HRT. The Pill is renowned for killling libido- it's the synthetic progestogens.

QueenoftheNights · 07/08/2018 07:04

Not cured my bladder issues but did cure my restless legs
Have you used topical estrogen? (Vaginal cream/ pessary?)
It's the treatment for bladder issues . Systemic HRT often isn't enough.

Emerald13 · 07/08/2018 09:30

Sofia, my gyn was adamant that BCPs are more risky than hrt and I am on hrt and only 42! I wonder if your gyn agree with you to take such a high doses of hormones and for how long...

notapizzaeater · 07/08/2018 09:54

Have you used topical estrogen? (Vaginal cream/ pessary?

I use estrogen patches - tbh my go is pretty useless at 'woman's things' he didn't want me on the patches even though I had a surgical hysterectomy age 47 for ovarian cancer.

Someone told me the bladder issues where part and parcel of a full hysterectomy?

SofiaAmes · 08/08/2018 05:02

I have consulted with a zillion OBGYN's and hormone specialists and read just about every paper out there (there is pathetically little considering this affects half the population at some point). I was put on BCP's to help with my severe bladder leakage issues at age 42 by Dr. Panay who is one of the top NHS hormone specialists in the UK and this was 13 years ago. I also consulted with a hormone specialist in the USA at the same time who agreed with the treatment.

I have double and triple checked with hormone specialists here in the USA and they all agree that given the significant quality of life issues (the extremely painful joints, migraines, asthma attacks, depression were all added to the bladder leakage when taking HRT) balanced against the health risks (clots and very slightly increased risk of cancer, I think), they were comfortable prescribing it for me. I am thin, don't smoke and am not at high risk for stroke for any other reason. The alternative would be an operation for the bladder leakage and weighing up all the risks, my doctors and I am happy with the BCP's. The libido and painful sex are a downside and I am now consulting with some new hormone specialists regarding this.

Topical estrogen didn't work at all for me.

But remember every woman is different and you have to find the right treatment for you. Unfortunately so many of the doctors and scientific researchers are male and this is just not a priority for them. (My male OBGYN and male urologist actually thought that telling me to wear pads/diapers for the rest of my life was a reasonable solution....can you imagine if a man walked into their office and said that urine was leaking out of his penis....I am 200% sure they would not be prescribing diapers as the first choice remedy).

You should also google the NHS guidelines if your doctor doesn't seem to be up on the current research. Here are the NICE guidelines for menopause.

Emerald13 · 08/08/2018 06:44

Can I ask you Sofia for how long you can stay on BCPs? Everyone has a different opinion...my gyn doesn’t agree with my suggestion for taking BCPs.

SofiaAmes · 08/08/2018 06:56

Ahhh, the million dollar question. So far I have not gotten a definitive answer. There just isn't enough research. The medical community is only just recovering from the misinterpretation of the big hormone study from the 90's that made everyone incorrectly stop prescribing hormones to women. I come from a family of scientists, so am well versed in reading the scientific/medical research that's out there and discussing it with my doctors. And I have had several specialists say that they have some patients my age that they prescribe BCP's for and given my healthy history and current presentation, they are happy prescribing it for me. Yet, this is in response to my vehemently asking for it (and trying ALL the other alternatives short of surgery).
My ds has a rare genetic disease, which has a ton of overlapping odd symptoms. He was not diagnosed until he was 10. I am well versed in arguing with doctors and pointing out that the first 10 things they tried didn't work, so now can we try the "experimental" one. (In ds' case this was not anything weird and alternative or unsubstantiated scientifically..it had just not yet made it out of the science journals and into the medical ones and from there into the medical schools and the doctors' current daily practice.

SofiaAmes · 08/08/2018 06:57

All I know that is when I wasn't taking the BCP's my life was not really worth living and until I find a viable alternative I am going to continue to harass my doctors into prescribing BCP's for me.

Emerald13 · 08/08/2018 07:23

I think you are right Sofia, if the quality of your life is poor without BCPs, stick with taking it and forget the risks!
I am thin, athletic and I find sometimes my hrt too low for me but my gyn doesn’t give any alternative. He said that if it helps with my symptoms, I don’t need a higher dose. I am on 2 mg estradiol.
Our body knows better!

Frankwindsor · 08/08/2018 07:41

HRT has been wonderful for me in many ways, but it has not ameliorated my ongoing UTI problems, not that I expected it to.

QueenoftheNights · 08/08/2018 07:45

@SofiaAmes There is some evidence that some sorts of HRT can make urge incontinence worse, but not necessarily stress incontinence. If your leakage is caused by giving birth- prolapsed bladder - the operation is very simple and i'm not talking about mesh. I had a repair 25 years ago.I'm puzzled why Panay (who is brilliant) didn't go for that. Were you referred to a women's physio for help to build up your pelvic floor? If 'all ' you needed was a fairly easy op to life the bladder neck back into its right position to stop leakage, this is often really successful.If you have urge incontinence or overactive bladder there are other treatments for that. I'm sure this has been discussed if you saw Mr Panay and I'd not like to contradict him.

Are you in the US now? (Just asking as they refer to gynaes as OBS/GYNs, whereas we tend not to here.

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