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Menopause

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Original poster

HRT or not?

15 replies

fikel · 29/10/2018 22:04

I’m 51, I haven’t had a period for 9 months. I’m wondering if it’s worth going down the HRT route because of the health benefits? I’m aware of the slight risk of breast cancer.
At the moment I just take a herbal supplement. I am largely coping with my symptoms which is massively helped by taking doggie for long walks every day in the woods.
Nonetheless would be grateful for any advice that can give you back a little bit of the sparkle you’ve lost

OP posts:
Clayplay · 29/10/2018 22:08

place marking

newtlover · 29/10/2018 22:10

whenever I look at threads like this someone always turns up to say HRT is like insulin for diabetics and we should all take it, and anyone who suggests otherwise is trivialising other women's discomfort
my feeling is that there's a reason we have a menopause, which is so that our children, grandchildren and the human race in general can benefit from our wisdom
I think if you're coping with fresh air and exercise, why would you want to take drugs?

IdahoCrow · 29/10/2018 22:15

I use HRT patches, so that removes risks (most of which which were over-hyped anyway). Check out the latest NICE guidelines.

It helps prevent osteoporosis, I do believe.

PeridotCricket · 29/10/2018 22:22

Lowering of oestrogen can cause anxiety,depression and um, loss of sparkle. Also vaginal dryness, insomnia and other stuff. If you haven’t got symptoms that bother you and no worries about osteoporosis then probably don’t bother.

It makes my life much much better.

Original poster
fikel · 29/10/2018 22:28

I do have a lot of the symptoms mentioned above but I am managing them. It would be nice not to have them that’s why I’m questioning using HRT or anything else that has helped

OP posts:
swingofthings · 30/10/2018 05:32

Only you can decide. I tried hrt and hated it. I fell much more in control trying to cope with the symptoms mentally. Like you, I started taking long walks and that has helped a lot. I am now waiting to start mindfulness. I do believe that it is possible to manage some of the symptoms through focusing on how we respond to them rather than by relying on a drug.

Saying that I do totally believe it depends on the person, the type of symptoms and attitude to drug. I didn't think twice about getting an epidural when I gave birth to my two kids and couldn't understand why women would go through such pain when a miracle drug could take it all away, yet many women are much more confortable learning mechanisms to cope with it, through what is a natural process.

So really there is no right or wrong with either choice, it's what is right for us as individuals. For some hrt totally turns their lives around and is the equivalent of the epidural, for some it just isn't and they feel more in control managing their symptoms.

Monty27 · 30/10/2018 05:43

I was going through a nasty divorce with two DC's, working full time with a two hours commute every day so I took hrt.
It took 3 different types and lots of side affects before I got the one that suited me.
I would loved to have been walking a dog instead Smile
It depends on how your life is being affected. It's not a necessity. Flowers

Birdie69 · 30/10/2018 05:45

Menopause affected me and made life miserable. I'm on HRT for life and feel so much better with it. Everyone sees this differently though - if you have no symptoms, you're one of the lucky ones.

Emerald13 · 30/10/2018 09:12

I agree with Birdie, meno was a terrible shock for me and Hrt gave my life back.
I don’t see anything normal at meno and I don’t think that we have to suffer with all these awful symptoms and have poor quality of life.
Meno isn’t just hot flashes, it has a lot of longterm consequences in our health because of the loss of estrogen.
Hrt for life for me too!

Rebecca36 · 30/10/2018 09:23

HRT gave me migraines so when I came off, I felt better. Wasn't worried about the hot flushes that came back within a fortnight, they weren't too bad and I wondered why I had been so concerned about them.

There is a supplement which can be prescribed to prevent osteoporosis. Can't remember what it's called, begins with F. However you are taking lots of exercise, walking dog etc. If you eat healthily you'll be fine.

Original poster
fikel · 30/10/2018 09:51

Thank you for all the replies maybe I will bide my time and get something for bone density. Without exercise I would have gone insane

OP posts:
PeridotCricket · 30/10/2018 10:01

As I said upthread, it really helped me. I'm much better on HRT than without it. I feel like me again. Rather than the weeping anxious woman who was on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

I exercise, I eat well, I don't have caffeine, I rarely drink - so I do all the good stuff too.

Bellaciao · 01/11/2018 14:08

As Emerald says - it's not just about current symptoms. We now live maybe 40 years post-menopause, in an oestrogen deficient state. This has long-term health consequences for many (most?) women even if the obvious menopausal symptoms abate.

Do you want to spend these 40 years (or some of them) enjoying life to the full or just coping? Brisk walks and calcium for example do not on their own prevent post-menopausal bone-loss and osteoporosis. If there is a genetic pre-disposition to this in your family you would be advised to seriously consider taking HRT at least for few years.

Current thinking ( from research studies) is that HRT is best taken (started) within 10 years of menopause or under 60 so don't delay to long and then find you've missed the boat.

my feeling is that there's a reason we have a menopause, which is so that our children, grandchildren and the human race in general can benefit from our wisdom
I think if you're coping with fresh air and exercise, why would you want to take drugs?

HRT - when using (NHS licensed) body-identical products ie estradiol ( the main estrogen in our body) and progesterone is not considered a drug - it is just replacing what your body has stopped producing.

Taking HRT will not decrease our wisdom and may even increase it or rather stem the decline in our cognitive abilities so that we can pass on said wisdom!

QueenoftheNights · 01/11/2018 15:33

my feeling is that there's a reason we have a menopause, which is so that our children, grandchildren and the human race in general can benefit from our wisdom .I think if you're coping with fresh air and exercise, why would you want to take drugs

So are you saying that HRT and being wise are mutually exclusive? :)

Fresh air and exercise are important for men and women at any age (though how fresh the air is in our cities is another issue altogether!)

PhyllisDietrichson · 01/11/2018 16:47

I got lots of 'fresh air' walking the dog everyday during the terrible months I experienced before and after the menopause. The walks helped, but what stopped me from: feeling utterly lost, lacking in energy, lacking in confidence, not sleeping much at all for months on end, feeling essentially mental, feeling like I had no friends, hot sweaty and itchy - was HRT. Anti-depressants did NOT work at all.

Within a month or so I was back to my old self, and it's so great to feel like me again.

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