What are the benefits of NOT taking HRT?

[AlpacaThePicnic]

We obviously are wall to wall with the benefits of taking HRT

I just wondered if there are any benefits of not taking it as I weigh it up in my mind whether I wish to continue with it

Have to agree with you on that one. I remember reading that in prehistoric times it would have been rare to live past 35.

Loads of grandmothers in prehistoric times - if you made it to age 5 then the average life expectancy would be thirtyish, so a large minority would make it to their late thirties and hence grandmotherhood.

Post-menopausal grandmothers is a different question.

A very good point.
My mother refused to take HRT and has serious issues with osteoporosis.
Having seen what she puts up with I'm so glad I'm taking HRT myself.

I can't remember what it costs but it's not a significant amount of money (to me). Definitely worth it to not have to spend hours on hold to GP/try to get their online system to work. But obviously different people have different priorities. Excellent that some of you still have easy access to a GP, but I don't. And no, I can't just move to another surgery, there isn't one.

@Damnspot Private GPs and private consultant gynaecologists are very different.

A private GP appt can be around £50-£75. There are many online GP services (private) some of which specialise in women's health. (Not talking about the Newson Clinic, by the way.)

A private appt with a consultant is anywhere from £250-£350. For that you would get up to an hour in your first consultation (more often 45 mins) . Sometimes it's not necessary to have another appt if they write to your GP with their recommendations (for medication or otherwise.)

I had an online consult with a GP local to me in Scotland who specialises in menopause. I think it was £100.

For that I got 45 minutes to go through everything from start to finish, fully explore my options, discuss pros and cons of alternatives, ask questions and get an educated response. Post-appointment, she wrote a full letter to my GP (sent me a copy too) outlined what we had discussed and what she recommended in terms of treatment, and when to review.

Night and day between the private service and my GP service - still impossible to book an appointment, and you get fobbed off with a prescription for folic acid.

@unforand @PerryMenno l too suffered from horrendous menstrual migraines which worsened as l entered menopause. l imagine this was because my hormones were all over the place with endless hot flushes and other meno symptoms. However, once l started hrt my migraines stopped completely (along with the other symptoms) which was was a fantastic relief. Maybe they'd have stopped anyway eventually, but this was my experience ( and l'm still on hrt 13 years later.)