What if you can't take oestrogen?

[birthdayblues31]

Ok, so I'm hopefully years off menopause but I found myself thinking. I can't take any birth control with oestrogen in, presumably when the time comes I won't be able to have any hormone replacement for menopause either?

This is a common misunderstanding. HRT is as the R says replacement . The estrogen in modern HRT is body-identical. It has the same molecular structure as your own has (and you have had all your life.) It tops up your own estrogen.

The Pill is made with a synthetic form of estrogen which is very different.

Out of interest why can't you use the Pill?

I can't take it because I have a history of aura migraine

Read the info on the Migraine Trust website.

Women with migraine can use HRT ( that's me too!)

You'd use transdermal types not pills so no added risk of blood clots.

The Pill is totally different.

Here-Migraine Trust info. www.migrainetrust.org/about-migraine/trigger-factors/menopause-and-midlife/

There are people who can't take HRT for medical reasons - I'm one of them. It's fine. Not everyone suffers really badly, it's like periods and childbirth - awful for some people, but not all. There are other things you can take, not sure how well they work.
I've found the hardest things are a) memory b)hot flushes causing c) interrupted sleep. However, I've had 3 babies, am used to interrupted sleep, not really a big deal. Hot flushes - there are coping strategies.
I'd say if you can try to keep yourself at a good level of fitness ( I didn't) it would help. Extra weight makes hot flushes worse.

Don't feel that menopause, which is a natural event, needs to be automatically medicalised .

@Delphinimublue
You are absolutely right, some women (around 25%) sail through menopause.

But it's not actually medicalising menopause to use HRT and your tone suggests a bit of a critical stance on women who may use it. HRT is replacement with estrogen made from yams. It's not the same as birth control pills.

There is no telling how long lack of sleep can go on for. Lack of sleep is well known for being a huge risk for diabetes, weight gain and even heart disease. Babies do eventually sleep and what we can cope with for a year or so in our 20s and 30s is a bit different to not sleeping for decades post menopause.
Yes, menopause is natural, but so is polio, HIV, the plague. Doesn't mean we don't use modern science to help, does it? In the past the majority of women died by the age of 40, so menopause wasn't an issue. Now, we spend 1/3rd of our lives post menopause. HRT helps bones, prevents colon cancer, protects the heart and may help prevent dementia.

The natural event of menopause almost destroyed me, I was hallucinating with sleep deprivation, my hair was falling out and I was piling on weight not to mention the 40+ hot flushes a day so hrt has given me my life back. Women should not be made to feel failures for not being able to cope with awful symptoms you'd treat symptoms caused by illness and disease so why not meno symptoms. I for one plan to use HRT for as long as I can it makes me feel fantastic.

@rosie39forever Sleep deprivation is one of the most dangerous things for health and mental wellbeing - that's why it's used as a form of torture.

Sorry but I did not find anything natural at my meno too. It was a complete nightmare for me!

I am not taking HRT, my symptoms were not too bad, and now I don't have any symptoms at all. (Hot flushes stopped when I took sage tablets.) So your experience might be similar.

I feel better than I have done in years. I have lost weight slowly over the last 3 years before meno kicked in. I am sure that helped.