Hi,
think I'm perimenopausal. Looking to start combined hrt patches due to fatigue, brain fog, night sweats, very heavy but short periods (accompanied by digestive issues), feeling very flat and disengaged etc. Have done quite a bit of reading and have been reassured by Dr Louise Newson re cancer risks etc. However, reading the government guidelines from 2019 has frightened me a bit;
www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt-further-information-on-the-known-increased-risk-of-breast-cancer-with-hrt-and-its-persistence-after-stopping
Is this report based on the Oxford study which Dr Newson talks about (and somewhat discredits), based on older types of hrt etc? The numbers, although low, do concern me, as I'm expecting to take combined hrt for 10 years potentially. The worst symptoms and negative affects of menopause seem to typically be mid-late 40s to 60, in terms of rapid ageing, decreasing bone density etc etc. I'm worried that if I start now in my 40s I'll have to come off it when symptoms are potentially at their worst due to cancer risks.
The government report also states that they only recommend hrt for post menopausal women, which is news to me!! So typically, 52 years plus. I thought there is a lot of benefit from taking it for peri and menopausal symptoms? Confused! I thought the newer plant based hrt was much safer than this?