Page 3 | What are the benefits of NOT taking HRT?

AlpacaThePicnic · 2023-05-21T19:28:53+00:00

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

HamBone · 22/05/2023 00:24

QueenOfHiraeth · 21/05/2023 21:43

I think HRT is a very individual decision.

I had very few meno symptoms and have quite a few risk factors so felt I would be anxious taking it.

If I had had more severe symptoms and fewer risks my risk/benefit ratio might have led me to a different decision

That’s how I feel, @QueenOfHiraeth . I’m 48, nearly 49 and have had few symptoms so far. Did have some brain fog a couple of years ago, but it seems to have disappeared and I get the odd hot flush. Unless I experience more severe symptoms, I’m not bothering with HRT.

Now that I’ve said this, worse symptoms will probably appear! 🤣

MooncupShadow · 22/05/2023 00:31

LocalHobo · 21/05/2023 21:25

Why medicate a natural stage of life?
The main benefit is not having to source prescriptions and take/apply meds.

It's not for me. I had to have my uterus, cervis, fallopian tubes and ovaries removed.

I can't think of any possible benefits of not being on oestrogen gel.

Anyway, as the kids will no doubt tell you, 'natural' is just a cultural construction.

allthegoodusernameshavegone · 22/05/2023 00:47

My peri-M life without HRT was miserable, it’s been a complete game changer. I did come off for a bit as I thought I was better & I did lose a bit of weight, but when the effect of the medication wore off I was bloody miserable again, I’m back on it and back to being fat & happy

halfpasteleven · 22/05/2023 02:33

rookiemere · 21/05/2023 22:12

I'm 52 but due to endometriosis i'll stay on the pill until 55.
Frankly I'm worried about weight gain when - and if - I go on HRT.

@rookiemere how did you get the endometriosis diagnosis?
I'm convinced I have it but doctors, consultant don't seem to think so. Have an mri scan at the end of the month..

Aslanplustwo · 22/05/2023 03:34

Daisy54 · 21/05/2023 22:22

I’m 54, 6 years post menapause. Only symptoms I had during the menapause was hot flushes. Put up with them, now 6 years later, I feel better than I did the whole of my reproductive years.

I'm the same, and my hot flushes lasted all of a month. I feel absolutely fine (64), so see no point in medication just for the sake of it. I only know of one friend who is using HRT and I'm pretty sure no-one in my immediate family did.

countrygirl99 · 22/05/2023 05:43

I piled on weight so came off it fairly quickly. Weight gain stopped as soon as I did.

Tatapie · 22/05/2023 05:58

TicketyBoo11 · 21/05/2023 23:45

I’ve been on Gel/Utragestan for 18 months. I am having a 4 month HRT holiday as early benefit has dwindled and I’ve struggled with bloating and breast pain oh breakthrough bleeding (55 with a regular period). I just can’t get my balance right, my nurse practitioner wasn’t very clued up and I couldn’t get blood tests to even estimate my hormone levels. I’m tired of guessing so I’ve stopped, I’ll take the consequences of that just to feel in control of my body and my cycle again. Depending on what happens I’ll revisit at the end of the year with a different approach if needs be.

Hi did you stop suddenly it taper off? And has the bloating eased? I'm thinking of doing the same, I feel like a puffed up version of myself!

GnomeDePlume · 22/05/2023 06:56

I'm 56, had an endometrial ablation 10 years ago so no periods and I dont know if I am peri, meno or post-meno!

I have a blood clotting disorder and am at high risk of DVT (already had one) so I take warfarin. Dont want to increase that risk so no HRT for me.

As I have never taken HRT I dont know the difference. I'm holding down a good job, I dont get cross generally. I tend to be forward rather than backward looking. I'm not sure what HRT would give me even if I could take it.

rookiemere · 22/05/2023 07:09

@halfpasteleven the only way to know if you actually have endometriosis is through a laparoscopy. I was fortunate enough to have private medical cover through my work - sadly only remembered after many months of agony- and was diagnosed that way. A MRI scan is unlikely to detect endometriosis.

Gettingbysomehow · 22/05/2023 07:16

LocalHobo · 21/05/2023 21:25

Why medicate a natural stage of life?
The main benefit is not having to source prescriptions and take/apply meds.

Because the menopause literally sent me mad and I had to be sectioned and my marriage broke up. Also I have to work to pay my mortgage. If I hadn't started HzrT my whole life would have fallen apart.
Natural doesn't always mean good.
Would you refuse chemo because its not natural? Fora lot of people the menopause triggers serious mental health problems.

CrunchyCarrot · 22/05/2023 07:16

Since I had no menopausal symptoms apart from hot flushes (which I later discovered were aggravated by wheat foods) I didn't see the point having HRT. I am 17 years on from menopause now. I developed hypothyroidism about 8 years ago and have to take hormone replacement for that, adding in estrogen/progesterone would just complicate things if I did choose to take it.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/05/2023 07:17

rattymol · 21/05/2023 21:47

So I decided not to kick the can down the road and just go with it. Out the other side now and glad it's all over.

You are not 'kicking the can down the road' by taking HRT!

Passerillage · 22/05/2023 07:21

WunWun · 21/05/2023 21:47

For me, because my anxiety went crazy to the point I couldn't make it through the day without panic attacks. I was waking up from a dead sleep having a panic attack. Nightmares. Hot flushes that were not only uncomfortable but embarrassing (going bright red mid conversation at work). I started getting acne. I had no interest in sex. I'm only 44.

I started HRT and it all pretty much disappeared within a few weeks. No vague downside to it from my point of view.

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Same. My mental health collapsed, couldn’t sleep, hot flushes, insomnia, could barely work because of the exhaustion. All I can say is that I did not put on weight because the anxiety and constant physical sensation of overwhelming fear was so bad I could barely eat. I knew there was something new and sudden wrong with me because this was all very out of character.

HRT saved my world, so yes, I will medicate this natural stage of life.

daffodilandtulip · 22/05/2023 07:21

I don't understand the need to medicate something which is natural, to only get the symptoms once you stop medicating.

It was a bit of trial and error, and I had a horrendous probably 6 months, but I matched each symptom to researched herbal supplements - and I can honestly say I feel myself again.

MyNewWittyUserName · 22/05/2023 07:36

LocalHobo · 21/05/2023 21:25

Why medicate a natural stage of life?
The main benefit is not having to source prescriptions and take/apply meds.

I got early meno. Apparently I need hrt until natural meno age.

TicketyBoo11 · 22/05/2023 07:39

I reduced my oestrogel over a few months, 2 pumps down to a half and kept up the Utragestan. I’ve just stopped so we’ll see. Stopping really goes against what Dr Newson and Davina advise but I have to try a re-set.

Jewel1968 · 22/05/2023 07:41

Hmmm. I am taking hrt. I think the main benefits for me of not taking it would be not having to take it. I hate the faff of taking it and using the gel.

The other benefit for me personally would have been avoiding having to go to hospital cos I started to bleed regularly. Turned out to be fine. It was a benign polyp. Guess you could call that a benefit of taking it as I got a very thorough examination. Dunno.

BenCoopersSupportWren · 22/05/2023 07:44

LocalHobo · 21/05/2023 21:25

Why medicate a natural stage of life?
The main benefit is not having to source prescriptions and take/apply meds.

Because for some women, the symptoms have a debilitating, even devastating effect on their ability to work, their confidence, their mental health etc, and HRT can alleviate that so that they’re able to function at a time they still need to be on top of their game. Approximately 10% of working women end up leaving work earlier than they wanted / had planned due to menopause symptoms.

Thanks to menopause I suffer from godawful brain fog, memory loss, anxiety, mood swings and it hugely exacerbates some pre-existing lethargy (from a chronic health condition) and insomnia. I am the breadwinner and a carer for my disabled DH so I have to be able to function as well as possible for as long as possible, but the combination of menopause symptoms on top of my own health challenges badly affected my confidence and my ability to do my job. HRT takes the edge off the worst of the symptoms and helps me to keep working.

Yes, no doubt I’m kicking the can down the road to coming off it in retirement, but since having any kind of stable retirement is dependent on me being able to work and pay the mortgage NOW, that’s future me’s problem.

wyntersuhn · 22/05/2023 07:48

I can't take it - horrendous family history of just about every gynaecological cancer you can imagine - and I honestly don't crave it. I have symptoms, but I manage them individually as and when I need to through other means. I am under the care of several specialists, including an endocrinologist who monitors my bone density (all fine, been in menopause for 8 years) and says there is little to no impact on heart health from not taking HRT.

HoliOrangeBlossom · 22/05/2023 07:51

It's completely your call Tilly, but if you look at the link to the stats, estrogen-only HRT actually lowers the risk compared to women not using HRT. The hormone that is the risky one is progestogen when used (mainly) every day with estrogen which it has to be in women with a womb.)
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I thought that the point of taking the progesterone was to protect** women from womb cancer? @JinglingSpringbells

HoliOrangeBlossom · 22/05/2023 07:52

NewPinkJacket · 21/05/2023 21:40

I'm 54, I've been peri for 6 years and started HRT 3 weeks ago.

I was reluctant to take it because I was managing without it, but then my poor memory and cloudy thinking, was really affecting my performance at work, not to mention lack of energy and muscle pains.

I'm starting to slowly feel the benefit now but I still feel I'm just kicking the can down the road.

Having said that, further down the road I'll be retired and won't have a work performance to worry about.

I'm taking it too and really worry about kicking the can!

Has anyone seen anything written about this? It doesn't seem to be mentioned.

JassyRadlett · 22/05/2023 07:55

RitaCrudgington · 21/05/2023 22:30

That 47 is skewed by the huge number of girls who died age 0-5 years old. Most of the increase in life expectancy during the twentieth century came from revolutions in infant mortality.

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The answer is somewhere in between - life expectancy for mature women has increased a lot, but not as much as overall LE.

What are the benefits of NOT taking HRT?

Maireas · 22/05/2023 07:56

I am 63 and have never taken HRT. My menopause was tough. I'm out the other side and feel great. I have posted on MN before, but have been absolutely hammered by other posters, there's a very strong pro HRT group on here, so I'm going to say no more other than it's an individual choice. I'm glad I made mine.

HoliOrangeBlossom · 22/05/2023 07:58

TicketyBoo11 · 22/05/2023 07:39

I reduced my oestrogel over a few months, 2 pumps down to a half and kept up the Utragestan. I’ve just stopped so we’ll see. Stopping really goes against what Dr Newson and Davina advise but I have to try a re-set.

Am weaning off just now.
How are you feeling?

Dontcallmescarface · 22/05/2023 08:00

I was lucky enough not to have the awful symptoms many women have during meno (just the occasional flush), so didn't feel the need or want to have HRT. I'm 10 years post meno now and really don't think that HRT would have benefited me in any way.