HRT stopping after 18 years

[Mrsmock]

I had cervical cancer 18 years ago which resulted in me having a radical hysterectomy, also removing my ovaries. Due to my age of 29 I was told to start taking HRT . I was advised to take until I was 40 then told ok to carry on after that. Now at 48 GP has advised I reduce dosage and eventually in 6 months be off it altogether. My question is will I then be in the menopause? Will I get symptoms? I am so confused any help would be appreciated I don’t feel Gp is explaining properly , thanks.

Yes you will in the menopause.

I don't understand why your GP wants you to stop.
There is no limit on time on HRT. You certainly should not stop before the age of the average menopause- that is 51.

You need a different GP who understands this.

Refuse to reduce, refuse to come off it, query why and if they can't give good reasons, ask to be referred to a specialist.

Do NOT accept this decision as it is medically wrong.

@mrsmock
Have a browse online and read about premature/ surgical menopause The Daisy Network is a good place to start or the website of Dr Louise Newson.

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/menopause-younger-women

The standard medical advice is women with no ovaries receive HRT up to age 51 at least. So it makes no logical sense for you to stop now.

The other factor is that you will be using estrogen-only HRT (no progestogen) as you don't have a womb.

This type of HRT is risk-free in terms of breast cancer. Women on estrogen-only HRT have less breast cancer than ALL women who do not use any form of HRT.

And any risks do not apply to younger women anyway- so your own risks , even if you had a womb, would not start until you reached 51 anyway.

You need to ask your GP why they feel you ought to stop HRT. If they simply say 'you've been on it along time' you need to ask them to explain the risks with actual statistics. (They won't be able to, because the stats show it protects you from a lot of serious illnesses.)

When you reach 51-52 then YOU can decide if you want to stop but you may find you do get menopause symptoms.

Thank you so much I will definitely be asking my go more questions x