Positive experiences after stopping HRT

[iltdu]

Hello

Has anyone had a positive experience after stopping HRT for whatever reason? I had to stop HRT after taking it for just 4 months.

Everything I read keeps noting negative experiences and I am so nervous now I am going to be some sort of trainwreck in a month or so.

I cannot find any good material on positive steps to take that help for those that cannot tolerate or take HRT. Except for eat well, exercise and get sleep! If only

It would be great to hear experiences on the positive side or at least not toooooooooo negative!

Thank you!

P.S. Tips too if you have any that have worked. Thanks

Maybe we can help more if you say why you had to stop.

Was this an 'emergency medical' reason or you weren't getting on with the sort you had been given?

(Some women need to try 3-4 types and different combinations to get the right one.)

When you say 'tolerate it' it sounds as if you tried one sort and it didn't suit you.

Did your dr suggest other types?
(There are at least 4 types of progestins, for a start, which can be combined with gel/ patches/ tablets/ sprays.)

Thank you JinglingHellsBells I had to stop for medical reasons so I am looking for some positive stories that worked for people who may have had to come of HRT for whatever reason.
Ironically maybe those that have had succesful experiences without HRT or have come off it without too much problems are no longer popping back in to this forum .

I hope that there was a sound medical reason as many GPs are not very educated on menopause.

The reasons for stopping so quickly would be blood clots, breast cancer, heart attack/ stroke.

Maybe you can say because some of the herbal treatments are not safe for some of those conditions?

And it depends on what your main symptoms are now.

Oh and whoever made you stop should have referred you to a specialist for a 2nd opinion and treatment options.

There really isn't anything that will replace hormones except hormones. What age are you OP? Peri menopause or menopause? The biggest bone loss is in the first 5 years after periods stop, so I suppose weight bearing exercise and perhaps supplements of vitamin d and calcium though it won't be the same.

How was you befire you started taking it?

Medical reasons could be anything though.

I had to stop HRT suddenly when I was diagnosed with hormone sensitive breast cancer. I have been fine. I also take anastrozole which pretty much reduces my oestrogen to zero.
My bone density was normal at the start of treatment and will be monitored while I am taking anastrozole. If I show signs of osteoporosis I will be offered targeted treatment.
What I have found interesting is that many women who have to take aromatase inhibitors only find out that they have osteoporosis when they have bone scans before starting treatment. Many have been taking HRT and are pre or perimenopausal.
HRT doesn’t stop loss of bone density it just slows it progress. There is probably a genetic element combined with environmental element to bone density. Good diet and exercise in our first three decades establish bone density, after our mid thirties it naturally deteriorates. Hormones are not the only factors involved.
HRT prescribing should include baseline bone density scan to see if the patient is at risk and would benefit from supplements and bone density drugs. Also a baseline mammogram and breast ultrasound to exclude undiagnosed early breast cancer.
I was unlucky, HRT didn’t cause my breast cancer but it fuelled the growth of the tumour. It also lead to massive growth of fibroids. Fortunately the anastrozole has reversed the side effects.
On a very positive note I no longer have hormone related mood swings. I don’t have anxiety or brain fog.
HRT helped with some symptoms but not all.
I am coping far better with life, my anxiety levels no longer go off the scale and I’m happier. No oestrogen is so much better than widely fluctuating levels of oestrogen.

@iltdu Any chance you might come back here and let posters know a bit more?

We can't really help without knowing why you can't use HRT as that suggests you have existing medical conditions. Therefore, some alternatives may not be suitable. Some alternatives are available from your GP but others are herbs you can buy.

HRT doesn’t stop loss of bone density it just slows it progress.

This isn't quite true @Angrymum22.

My bone density has increased a lot over 12 years, on HRT and without it, I'd have osteoporosis.

@JinglingHellsBells

HRT doesn’t stop loss of bone density it just slows it progress.

This isn't quite true @Angrymum22.

My bone density has increased a lot over 12 years, on HRT and without it, I'd have osteoporosis.

How regularly do you have bone density scans?

@Angrymum22 Approximately every 2.5 years, for the last 15 years.

I was on HRT for about 12 years. Started when i was 40 because I had early meno.

I stopped during pandemic when I found it very difficult to get meds. I regret this. I haven't had any follow up appt with GP, and it's very tricky to get appts for anything other than an emergency. This post has reminded me to prioritise my health and get a review.

Since stopping, I've had hot flashes about a couple if times per week. My skin has dried considerably, possibly not meno linked. I don't know about any bone density issues etc.

Come back OP and let's talk it through.

Hi all apologies for the delay in response. I was diagnosed with lip cancer a few weeks back. All is fine I have had surgery on lip and some lymph nodes removed, and the signs are all good. I was advised to stop HRT and without going down the conversation route of the safety of HRT and why I stopped etc I did make the personal decision for now to stop along with my GP, onocologist and dermatologist. My reason for this thread originally was just to get some experiences regarding not taking HRT and surviving menopause symptoms. For all of you ladies on HRT and its working for you, I think its great. Its all about whatever works for you. But at this stage for me, I am on the no HRT at the moment journey and interested in hearing positive stories on what works, sort of works, or didn't work.

Take care everyone!

Do you think that if it's been a medical decision by those drs, they ought to refer you to a menopause consultant for advice?

You're going to get a whole range of experiences here, with some women saying they felt fine, others terrible, (and went back on it) and everything in between.

You've not had advice from a meno specialist about why to stop HRT so maybe your drs need to refer you to a meno consultant and say why they feel HRT is contraindicated now.

How you feel is going to be individual to you. It depends on your age, how far you are in peri/post meno, and your reasons for going onto HRT in the first place. That's why you need to see a specialist who can offer alternative medication that you might need for flushes, sweats, mood, as well as the preventative side of HRT for bone and heart health.

Thank you JinglingHellsBells

I am going to concentrate now on getting over the shock of my diagnosis initially and recover from my surgery and finish treatment. 6 rounds of radiation. I may in due course seek out a menopause specialist but at the moment I am just happy to hear experiences without HRT good bad or back on it again from people who did not take or had to stop HRT. I have great faith in my consultants and of course they are not menopause specialists and only treat their own area.

At the moment I am very tired and feel my energy has been sapped away and my sleep although not brilliant still has me able to function somewhat during the day. I am 49 and my periods were very irregular over the past year and although I didn't have hot flushes and night sweats I was beginning to get crazy anxious over silly things. Hence why I was encouraged to go on HRT initially. With all the positive stories around it I felt I was being proactive getting going on it. However as we know life sometimes has a way of surprising us and it did for me a few weeks back.

So now I want to remain positive, proactive in my care and journey and just hear from others who have had some success or great success without HRT.

Thank you.

I've stopped due to a cancer diagnosis. I reduced it gradually over about a month whilst I was waiting for the diagnosis. I have had night sweats a bit, but I haven't noticed anything else so far, I had bad anxiety beforehand. I guess short term it depends what stage you are at with menopause, I suspect that I'm at the end, and so my hormones aren't so erratic, which has helped. I bought a book The Hormone Repair Manual, which I've found useful in looking at non-HRT options.

Thank you SierraSapphire for the name of the book. I will certainly check it out.
I hope your doing ok too and I wish you all the best.

Onwards and upwards.

@iltdu

Im sorry youve had to restate your position repeatedly here when you simply wanted to hear some different views.
I have tried HRT . The negative side effects built up over a few months and soon outweighed the benefits for me. The good sleep only lasted a few weeks then it wore off!
I feel well and won’t go near HRT again .
I take B12 and magnesium and they do help I think .
I do basic yoga.
i completely agree with the point above re hormones settling down . It has been true.for me and you never hear that side of it.Like many people I took HRT in desperation when in the middle of peri - I think 49/ 50 was peak maelstrom. I felt at my worst when having (irregular) periods.
Post menopause has been very different for me and I wouldn’t have known that if I’d still been taking HRT

Thank you Novella4 I really appreciate the post.

Thank you for starting the thread OP.

I would also love to hear from people managing menopause with out HRT. Following a Breast Cancer diagnosis HRT is not an option for me and I believe there are a lot of women in my positition. People seem to be evangelical about the benefits of HRT and that's great I'm happy for you all! But we're not all in a position where it is an option.

Some positive stories tips/hacks for living life and preserving future health without Oestrogen would be very welcome!

I have endometrial cancer and I wonder whether but can't prove that HRT contributed to my cancer, I suspect that I wasn't absorbing the progesterone so effectively had unopposed oestrogen. I was a bit blasé and went along with it since it's been so enthusiastically promoted in some quarters but think if I'd been properly monitored then the problem may have been picked up sooner.

@iltdu this is a really interesting thread for me - sorry to bring a negative experience as you said you wanted positive ones (!) but I had to come off HRT in August due to a stroke, so risk of blood clots, and it hasn't been great at all. Hot flushes have returned, and I generally feel meh. I've gained a load of weight (nearly a stone) which appears to be all around my midriff, and am lacking energy. I've booked in to see a menopause specialist next week and I'm hoping to be able to go back on something. I've read so many differing accounts of what you can or can't take post stroke - my GP said categorically no oestrogen, though I've read you can use oestrogen gel without risk. I started after my stroke on progesterone only HRT which didn't appear to do anything positive for me, so I took myself off everything 2 months ago. Lost my mojo for sure.