Is there anything I can do to help my 70 year old mum?

[MrsMcTats]

My DM had a hysterectomy (kept her ovaries) in her early 40's. She was then on HRT until late 60's. A GP suddenly took her off them, saying she'd been on too long and she stopped cold turkey.

Since then it feels like her health has seriously deteriorated. She suddenly looks very old and is always tired. Maybe it's just coincidence, but she has had one thing after another. In the beginning very bad night sweats, insomnia and feeling spaced out/falling. She's had every test and scan and a liver condition has been found, but her general deterioration kicked off after stopping HRT.

Could this have been triggered by going cold turkey? Is there anything I can suggest taking to give her a boost?

First, your mum didn't have to come off HRT. That is not how it works now although most GPs don't have a clue and this forum is full of examples of that.

Menopause specialists discuss the pros and cons , and let the woman decide what she wants to do.

The guidance from the British Menopause Society states that 'no arbitrary limits' are put on use of HRT. So it can be used for life, or until she's 75, 80, whatever.

I could name three top UK menopause specialists who have told me that they have women in their late 80s and 90s still using HRT.

I don't think there is much point discussing what may or may not help, in terms of over the counter products, because nothing will replace estrogen.

It's also worth knowing that women on estrogen-only HRT (as she would be after a full hysterectomy) have LESS breast cancer than women in the population who have never used HRT (so again this goes to show how lacking in knowledge her GP is.)

My advice is between you, you get her to see or have a video consultation with a menopause specialist who will prescribe it for her again.

@JinglingHellsBells thank you. I did have a feeling this may be the case. However I'm sure I read that you shouldn't take HRT with liver conditions. I'll Google and have a look.

What liver condition does she have? What's the treatment? Is it severe?

But that doesn't seem to have been the reason to stop- more something found out afterwards.

The advice on that is that transdermal estrogen (patches, gel or a new spray) can be used in some women as it bypasses the liver, unlike pills.

At 70, your mum should not have used tablet form HRT anyway (her GP ought to have sorted that if she was) as there is a very slightly higher risk of clots.

Actually, the above- liver condition- is something she would discuss with the meno specialist. It's not black and white. You certainly don't want to, and can't , make a decision yourself by Googling . She needs to see someone because all the other symptoms she now has may be far worse for her long term health than using hrt.

@JinglingHellsBells I meant i'll Google to look for research and have some understanding of any liver & HRT issues. I certainly won't be making any decisions based on a Google search. As I said, she has had every test and scan based on her symptoms and the thing that came up was the liver issue, which is serious, but no treatment currently needed. I think it's probably this that's caused the deterioration. Some of her other medication was also causing dizziness. I was just wondering if the cold turkey off HRT led to lingering sweats, sleep disturbance etc, which coupled with the liver, has been a lot for her to deal with. I'll look into a menopause specialist, but convincing DM to visit one is a whole other issue!

I was just wondering if the cold turkey off HRT led to lingering sweats, sleep disturbance etc, which coupled with the liver, has been a lot for her to deal with.

Most probably though liver problems can sometimes cause sweats.

Specialists usually advise coming off HRT slowly over 3-6 months to try to minimise the return of symptoms.