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 ?

I had no symptoms whatsoever other than irregular periods so didn't use it. Out of 8 friends three went on a fairly low dose. So no, you are t the only one.
Are you suggesting your weight has something to do with not taking HRT?

:@JaniieJones You are 100% right! I had exactly that conversation many years ago when we discussed this very 'choice'.

There is a slightly higher risk of endometrial cancer on sequential, compared to continuous, but it is very small and most endo cancer is linked to being overweight or pre- existing conditions. It's also more easily treated than BC and usually just surgery.

The 2-week pathway for scans is supposed to catch it early whether women or an HRT or not.

Or to pay for scans as a 'MOT' even if there are no symptoms. (I know women on sequential who do this privately even though their HRT is from an NHS GP.)

Interesting question OP

I'm not on it but worry I should be

I take well woman supplements etc and exercise but seem to be in reasonable health

Its terrible that its not made more clear how devestating osteoporosis could be, my GP was very blunt about it which im very grateful for, I really wasnt grasping how important it was that I treat it.

I think someone one this thread ( Sorry I can't find the post ) was asking about breast cancer and continuing to take HRT

Do you know of Liz O Riordan ? She is a breast cancer surgeon who has herself recovered from breast cancer . She is also angered by the broad stoke pronouncements from certain quarters

mobile.twitter.com/Liz_ORiordan/status/1542404067917537282

This is actually the main reason I take HRT. I am in early menopause due to autoimmune diseases and I take daily life long steroids for Addison’s disease as well as frequent additional courses of steroids for lupus and asthma. The amount of steroids I take make me susceptible to osteoporosis. I have had a DEXA scan and thankfully all is okay for now but I am very conscious that since I produce no oestrogen of my own at all that I am very at risk long term of low bone density. So this is the primary reason I am on HRT. It is really, really serious and not many people understand just how serious osteoporosis is. It’s not just the bones breaking themselves but the subsequent lack of mobility / increased risks during surgery to correct issues as people become older etc.

Why are some people referring to HRT as medicine? Its oestrogen; progesterone (sometimes synthetic, I know) and testosterone. Hormones.

I think the definition of medication is that it contains active ingredients so HRT is a medication

.

My understanding is that Avrum Bluming has a different take on it in his book 'Oestrogen Matters'. I dont think most medics here in Ireland are at ALL rushing out to prescribe HRT for someone with BC or with BRACA gene, in fact many are reluctant to prescribe it if theres anyone in the family with any cancer, is it different in the UK?
I dont know if it was teased out any more in a podcast I believe Liz O Riordan did with Louise Newson but it came across on Twitter that ORiordan was against HRT of any type for anyone that had BC regardless of how badly their life was affected by hormonal depletion, the decision basically lay with the doctor not the patient. The way I understood the message from Newson and others is that they see it as a balance, the risks should be explained clearly and weighed up against quality of life.....
I go round and round on circles about it myself tbh. I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure in my 30s, post menopausal at 38. I didnt want HRT (even though I had oestoporosis) nor would i have been given it because of the flawed study which showed it to be a huge risk factor for BC, particularly given that my mum had oestrogen + cancer twice in her early 50s. I didnt really have symptoms so just got on with it, but by my 44th birthday I was getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night, ached everywhere and was really begining to worry about my memory and language skills. It was a running joke in work that I kept mislaying things and losing my words/thoughts mid sentence, and ordinarily Id be known to be v organised and words are my 'thing' ( i was the child constantly with book in hand, degree in English etc) and being laid off over a 3 month lockdown made it very clear this was not work related as I d blamed it on and I began researching.
Added to this was the realisation that there was a strong possibility that my mums struggles after the cancer were very possibly due to the hormone blockers. She was diagnosed as having bi polar with extreme highs, engaging in risky behaviours, spending money like crazy, quite obnoxious to people and then terrible lows with overdoses, disappearing in the night to drown herself. This was stabilised with meds but then she was just a shell that had no real emotion, she was just there. She had to come off meds suddenly after it built up in her system and once she recovered from that she was back to being our mam again and has been stable in the 5 yrs since. In hindsight it starts to look more like a type of psychosis similiar to what can hapoen with a post natal woman.
So in the end weighing it all up I decided to try HRT for 6 months to see, and life is so much brighter now, but ya i do still worry a bit, but the reality is i could get/have BC without ever taking hrt, my mum did, and i could not live another 40 years just dragging myself miserably through every day without hrt.
Sorry that wasnt meant to be such a rambling essay!!!

Medication and hormones are interchangeable. Plenty of medicines are a hormone.

I'm not. I took it for 7 months and had to have ultrasound because of bleeding. Showed Thickened endometrium so then had to have punch biopsy. Didn't enjoy any of this. No cancer etc found - just side effect of HRT. The recommendation was that I be fitted with an IUD for the progesterona element to keep endometrial lining thin. I didn't want that so just stopped HRT. I have no desire whatsoever to be a lifelong gynaecological patient.

Hi op we all different. For me it helped alot sleep better etc. My friend said she sail threw change no probs but I found it floored me so I take hrt

It's not about what you LOOK like! Ffs.

Your last sentence is what puts me off.
And I can't be bothered with the faff - and having to "rely" on it.
Yes, I have symptoms - hot flushes etc but no mental symptoms - yes I suppose if I did, I would consider HRT more. I am fit and healthy - my bones can't be that bad as I do exercises to benefit them. Oh - I do take Vagifem to ward off dryness but obviously that's a different matter.
Each to their own, good to have a choice.

I don’t think as many people are on it as you may think, but it has been in the news a lot recently so I do think the uptake will increase.

I think it’s good most women have a choice and for some it is necessary if they are to continue their lives. I don’t think I could have continued my job had I not started taking it.

I do think the weight thing is a red herring though. Many women don’t do enough resistance exercise to maintain their muscle mass which then has a knock on effect on their weight. A lot of my friends complain about weight gain but when they truly log what they are consuming it’s always too much. That’s why they have weight gain, although it does gather around your middle as you age. I’m just 3 months into resistance training (although I did do a lot of running before) and have dropped about a stone whilst sticking to my macros. That last bit around my waist and tummy which I had previously thought impossible to get rid of is disappearing.