HRT - Yay or Nay??

[teazle]

I've just read the fabulous thread on menopausal symptoms in this section of talk. I seem to be quite lucky with my symptoms compared with some on here. My main ones are sleep issues, hot flushes at night, vaginal dryness and loss of libido. I'm 52 and had a mirena coil removed last year. Should I try HRT?

Was a yay for me. But I kept my Marina as part of it - also on patches and a cream but I'm 62 and about 12 years past the onset of menopause.

My main issue was recurrent urethritis caused by vaginal atrophy (urgh), with a bit of hot flush thrown in and a complete vaporisation of libido. Flushes and vag now sorted, libido not so much but I've learned to work around it. As it were.

Purplewithred that sounds positive. How long can you keep going with HRT?

I started HRT last summer. Best thing ever. Night sweats have gone. Hot flushes gone (they were never that bad). Libido comes and goes. Bad temper and tearful moods improved hugely, though they are coming back and I am seeing the GP for a review soon, as I may need a higher dose/different HRT. Overall my experience has been totally positive. My understanding is that you can't start HRT too late (over 60, I think?) but once you have started you can carry on as long as you and your doctor think is right. Which could be forever. They can pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Yay for me.

Yay for me

My understanding is that you can't start HRT too late (over 60, I think?)

You can start over 60 but it's got to be transdermal estrogen (which most good drs give all women now anyway) and a low dose to start with.

The best effects of HRT come with starting within 10 years of the last period (best effects = less heart disease is the main one, and better bones.)

Yay from me too. Sleep totally sorted, mood and temperature much more stable.

Vagifem for internal dryness and Ovestin for external have been good but tablets didn’t work for me. The sleepless nights, sweats etc eventually sorted themselves out and these days I feel normal again. Bone density scan showed my bones are good so going to keep going as I am for now.

I kept on without until the hot flushes started being any time of day, not just middle of the night, and the lack of sleep was seriously affecting my life and my temper. It's been wonderful!

@GetOffYourHighHorse

I'm a big advocate of no. Whatever advantages re mood, sweats and libido it is all wiped out by the fact combination hrt increases breast cancer risk by 75% www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/hrt

We don't give our teens drugs to delay puberty despite many of them suffering anxiety and depression.

It is an unpopular opinion on mn but the menopause is a natural ageing process. Of course we don't have to like it, but find ways to manage it. Fans in bedrooms, good diets, exercise to help with sleep problems, topical oestrogen to help with atrophy.

Any one of us may get breast cancer but to take meds that we know increase the chance by 75% seems a big risk.

75% of what to what though @GetOffYourHighHorse?

I'm going to list a whole load of links that I think you would find informative. Do take time to read and listen.

This is a really good interview so worth listening to it.

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/089-the-benefits-of-hrt-professor-isaac-manyonda-dr-louise-newson

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/039-oestrogen-matters-avrum-bluming-dr-louise-newson

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/s1e13-hrt-and-breast-cancer-dr-louise-newson-and-liz-earle-mbe

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/the-menopause-symptoms-long-term-health-risks-of-low-hormones-hrt-treatment-options

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/media/files/Fact-Sheets/Breast-Cancer-and-HRT.pdf

www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/breast-cancer-risks-from-hrt-by-leading-breast-cancer-specialist-professor-michael-baum

@GetOffYourHighHorse You know that's a US website and it's based on outdated use of HRT not the sort used today? And the WHI research has been refuted as inaccurate, worldwide.

Huge yay from me. Started with gel pump in November and it has hugely changed my life for the better. Sleep, moods, coping ability, stamina, all so much better. I had got to the stage that anxiety around PMS was leaving me afraid to drive and unable to cope in my stressful job for a week every four.
Also it basically stopped the constant waking up throughout the night to wee. I don’t like the idea of being on long term medication but the results have been phenomenal for me so will stick with it.

Yay for me. Its not completely stopped everything but I feel less anxious and irritable. Less hot flushes. Libido still not great. But over all its better for me being on it (and my family!!)

@GetOffYourHighHorse

OK well the nhs states www.nhs.uk/conditions/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/risks/ An extra 1 in 50 That is 10 in 500, 100 in 5000 for continuous hrt. They are significant stats. Doubling for those who take hrt for 10 years.

It is an individual choice, however these figures should not be minimised and as the thread was yay or nay I would have to say nay to taking meds that increase the chance of developing cancer.

Tell me Jingling would you advocate giving puberty blockers to teens to put off the nasty effects of puberty or would you infact support them to develop strategies on how to cope/manage these life changes?

Please listen to the link I left where all of this is discussed with a professor of gynaecology. He says....

23 in 1000 women NOT using HRT would get BC over 10 years (age 50-60)
3-4 more (using HRT) may get BC. (and that is not taking into account the newest types of HRT as the stats are old and based on the old types of HRT used.)

That is a tiny risk. It is hugely higher for women overweight or drinking 2 units a day.

The mistake in your post is that HRT does not delay or put off the menopause. Best to listen to or read the links where it's explained by doctors.

And HRT is not just for flushes and sweats. It prevents bone loss ( 100,000 women a year die from complications of osteoporosis) and heart disease. (the biggest killer of women) and dementia.

I'm not going to add any more because if you are really interested, the links are a great source of info :)

PLEASE listen to the first link I left where this is discussed in detail.

I read a stat ( in this months womens health magazine) that said that only 10% of women who would benefit from HRT are actually receiving the treatment. This is due to the misunderstanding of the actual risk / benefits of it. This misunderstanding is held by health professionals too. The menopause is not the equivalent of going through teenage hormonal change. Our bodies were not designed to go on for 30 years or so without oestrogen. It is shocking that so many women are struggling unnecessarily due to misinformation. HRT can be transformative but it feels like it's the best kept secret out there. Who knew that approaching your later years in life needn't be fraught with fading memory, weight gain, foggy brain and anxiety amongst many ( is it 30 or so ?)symptoms. That weakening bones weren't an inevitable part of being an older women and that with the right balance of hormones you can actually feel good and not just get by? At a time in your life when professionally you might be at the top of your game and when your family life is stretching you in all directions, your body starts caving in on you. And it can impact all areas of our life Don't take HRT if you don't want to , but do follow the advice given by jingling and find out more before you reject it. It's not about being popular or unpopular on Mumsnet. But you're right - there is a theme on here, I think that maybe due to the demographic of Mumsnetters. The 10% of women who get the treatment are probably most likely to be those who research , find stuff out for themselves or pay for private advice. It shouldn't be like that. It makes you wonder why a hormone deficiency that has such a detrimental affect on so many people isn't taken more seriously.

I agree with your post 100% @flippit81.

Even the NHS stats are not always up to date. They do sometimes focus on one source of stats, or are out of date.

Ultimately, it is a choice women make BUT they need to see all the information to make that choice.

Using HRT is not just about hot flushes etc. It's about long-term protection against diseases that cause a lot of deaths in women.

Family history has to be part of the picture when making a choice. HRT is protective against heart disease, bowel cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and possibly dementia.

Breast cancer is a huge concern for all women.
I understand some women do not want to add any risk, however tiny.
But we need to know all the pros and cons to make an informed choice.

All the best meno specialists say the choice is the woman's. They give them the info.

My GP is happy for me to keep going with HRT for the foreseeable future - I did question when I realised I’d been on it for well over 5 years and she just said no problem, see how I feel in 10. So I’m keeping going.

If you only have time to listen to one interview on HRT, this is one of the best as it covers a lot in a short space of time.

It's from Liz Earle Wellbeing site.

lizearlewellbeing.com/podcasts-videos/podcast/making-sense-of-hrt-nick-panay/

Yayfrom me! On novofem plus use typical oestrogen for vaginal atrophy
Wouldnt be without it

Topical!

Feetzelet would you mind telling me how long it took to feel an improvement. I started evorel patches Tuesday but today I've felt the familiar wave of anxiety and rage. My insomnia is atrocious which isn't helping.

Leaping into the yay or nay pros or cons argument, I would take the risks if they made me stable and a level person and therefore better parent while my kids are young ( they're preschoolers) at the moment I'm a terrible one.