Is it the norm to be on HRT ?

[sweatyannie]

Managed to get through the menopause without too many issues. Exception being very heavy periods but got that sorted.

I never sought HRT or was offered it by GP but I am now struggling with weight issues especially around the tummy etc. that may be for a number of issues (calories in - calories out)

I seem to be surrounded by women friends , colleagues who are on HRT.

Am I the only one ?

It's not the norm in my life. I'm 44 and just started but I've have severe peri meno symptoms including intrusive thoughts and chronic pain. Many older women I know have been very dismissive when I've talked about it "you're too young" and "well I coped without it" I think not everyone will feel they need it.

Having said that I wish my mum had had it cos life was shit for my brother and dad at home around the time I was at uni! She would have been approaching 50 then.

I would say it's not the norm but a lot more women in their 40s are talking about it and recognising symptoms of Peri (often misdiagnosed as mine were).

I was recently prescribed it but I’m not taking it at the moment, I’m not sure it’s for me. And I do worry that the women going in it now might suffer in some way in the future. I suppose it’s because I’m not convinced by the research.
Id love to ask a group of female breast surgeons and gynaecologists what they think.

I breezed thought the menopause but decided to start for various health reasons. Brain fog, no libido, loss of energy etc. I'm 61. Now on HRT with testosterone and it's made a remarkable difference to my quality of life. Oestrogen also protects against osteoporosis and heart disease. There's new research regarding the link with breast cancer issues which indicates the risk was originally overstated. In fact most HRT research is woefully out of date ( hence the Davina program ) And most GP's menopausal training is almost non existent ( and often biased against women )

As a race we're living longer thanks to lifestyle changes and medical treatment. Hundreds of years ago women didn't live much past child bearing years. Now we do and we have a choice to make our quality of life better. HRT is simply replacing our depleted hormones. No different to taking anything that improves our lives

Exactly 👌

I’m trying to deal with symptoms through diet and exercise - bollocks to going on HRT - each to their own - I want to get rid of my periods, not prolong them (HRT does prolong according to my amazing GP) - into a new period of freedom I say … xxx

If anyone is interested in updated information re the menopause there's a website called Menopausal Not Mad. They also have a FB page of the same name.
Knowledge is power ✊

I'm 61, post menopausal. Been on HRT for 2 years. Not had a period in about 7 years...

I'm 62. Long past the menopause, which was awful. Never taken HRT.
Feel great! It's like being young again. It's not popular on here to say that you're not on it - I was absolutely vilified on another thread.
My choice. No HRT. No problem.

I'm almost 54 and not on it. My symptoms are quite mild so never felt the need.

It is definitely not an elixir for youth. I take it because my symptoms were awful plus my bone density decreased and I developed osteoporosis while not taking it.

Chicca1970 I have never had a period since going on HRT years ago. Your 'amazing' GP is talking rot. Talk to a menopause specialist!

KangarooKenny I am now 74 and apart from an 18 month period of not taking HRT (my GP advice was to stop when I was in my mid 60s) I lost bone density going from osteopenia to osteoprosis within those 18 months. I insisted on seeing a menopause specialist who put me back on and my bone density scan a year later showed an improvement. Like other women of my age I'll stay on HRT as long as it helps us.

Lucky are those women (including some of my own friends) who sail through the menopause.

Women now live almost twice as long as our forbears who either died in childbirth or, if they reached 40+ and suffered menopausal symptoms, were considered mad and locked up in asylums.

I'm not on HRT and have not needed it . The only thing I think about is whether it would be a preventative for my bones in later years .

It's interesting how a few people on here are equating symptoms with periods. I couldn't give a shit if HRT did prolong my periods as long as I don't have to live with the debilitating pain and severe depression anymore. To put into context, in 2018 I was running marathons. 4 years later to struggle to walk a few km.

I think there's symptoms that affect people badly but not everyone. I sort of agree that the "davina effect" may make people think they ought to have it but that doesn't mean everyone needs it. If I wasn't experiencing such severe symptoms I wouldn't have even have thought to try it! My sister is 2 years older and has a few pedi symptoms but not enough to feel she needs Hrt right now.

I also think doctors need more tracing as at 40 my gp dismissed me completely when I suggested peri meno and then I lived for 4 years with chronic pain that could have been treated. It is thanks to the current media conversations around peri symptoms that I can now get what I need (as long as it's available 🤦🏽‍♀️)

I have just started in HRT and I'm 52.

Im in another country so I don't know if that makes any difference, but I don't know anyone else around my age who are on them. So I wouldn't say it's the norm here. My gynae prescribed them and we had the discussion over a year ago. We went with the wait and see approach as I had milder symptoms then. When I saw him again last month, we discussed it again and he now prescribed them. So I wouldn't say they are prescribed unneccessarily, but I didn't just rush into it iyswim.

So I would say they aren't offered as routine, unless you broach the topic. He first gave me natural supplements to take, which I did. They did help a bit I must be honest. But now I'm on the actual hrt I do feel a whole lot better.

Well obviously years ago women didn't live to see the menopause. The way I see it HRT is putting back the hormones my body should still be making but isn't. So it's not only for the physical stuff like hot flushes etc but also for the things we don't see, especially bone density. I will be on HRT for life hopefully, I have no intention of suffering when there is no need for it. Doctors are sadly uneducated in menopause, you could see 10 different doctors and get 10 different opinions.

I didn't intend to take HRT but decided to try it after researching, reading and talking to my excellent GP. To be honest, it's been a game changer and I plan to be on it forever.

I can completely understand how women with no or few symptoms don't use HRT.

However, my meno consultant divides meno into two phases- short and long term symptoms.

The long term symptoms arrive for many women 10+ years post meno.

If you don't want to use hrt or have no need to for symptoms, my advice is to get a DEXA scan 5 years on from your last period and see how you are.

NHS might not pay unless you have a family history of it. It will cost you around £200 but could save you years of disability in the future, if you catch it in time, and taking drugs for bone loss many of which have horrid side effects.

Osteoporosis affects 1:2 women aged over 50, and 100K a year die from complications of fractures in old age.

Well obviously years ago women who made it through childhood and childbirth tended to live through menopause

Even the bible assumes that people live till 70

Excellent post, and very sobering.

I also plan to take it for ever.

I have such severe genital and bladder issues that HRT is the only way to live a normal and pain free life, able to sit, exercise and work. Nobody much talks about this symptom bar in closed groups but there are plenty of us.

Majority of my friends are on it now. Early 50’s. Largely for aches and pains, insomnia, and for preventing bone density loss. We all work in full time, stressful jobs too so it helps.

I started the menopause in my very early 40's...I'm now mid 50's and have never had HRT. I didn't want it, but I realise that I was very lucky in that my symptoms were mild and it may have a different story had they been as bad as PP's.