What happens if you don't take HRT?

[Loverofoxbowlakes]

So it appears I am very deep in the throes of peri, with symptoms that I have been mostly putting down to a sudden and awful bereavement last year, work stress, a chronic illness, but should now be easing off, but they're not (plus periods now all over the place).

Hesitant to get GP advice just yet (as they've been not great up to now, but not rejecting it at all) but what happens if you don't take HRT? Does the fog, the sweats, the forgetfulness, the insomnia (ye gods the insomnia) stay forever? Do you just get used to it? My mum and grandmothers never had any drugs to cope but we never spoke of dealing with such things - are my symptoms here to stay indefinitely otherwise?

I've friends prescribed testosterone for lower sex drive

I hadn't taken the combined pill since I was advised not to after DD2 when I was 33. Didn't fancy the Mirena so had copper coil fitted. During the time I had the copper coil I had cervical cancer and ovarian cancer scares and developed endometriosis and an endometrial cyst. Took the mini pill for a few years - supposed to keep oestrogen low to stop endometriosis spreading, but I got to 46 and wondered about trying some oestrogen to see what happened as I was getting vaginal atrophy, dryness, itching.

Went back on the combined pill - it was like a light going on, I felt like myself again as I hadn't properly in many ways since I had DD2. I have more energy, my pelvic floor is so good I can do high impact exercise again and I'm so much fitter. I feel far better than I did for most of my 30s let alone my 40s, stuff I'd put down to ageing, being a bit overweight, having two young children, lack of fitness, lack of sleep, inevitable perimenopause effects were a lot down to having less oestrogen. It does mean I have periods again but they are not problematic - particularly as I can now actually wear tampons. I can take it until I'm 50 then I'm switching to HRT without passing go as far as I'm concerned. Just wish I'd done it sooner in my 30s instead of faffing about with coils and mini pills.

My sex drive is better as well - not back to my 20s, it wouldn't be, nor do I wish it to be, DH is 52 and rather panda-like at the best of times 😆- but I do actually have a sex drive again.

Isn't oestrogen a placating hormone? I don't want to be all amenable and meek!

I don't take HRT - my menopause was pretty easy and I had no desire to take anything. I am now 67. I haven't shrunk, am still tall! I do have an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's) so any problems I develop will more likely be associated with that.

I think it's very much down to your own symptoms and how you feel. I don't think you have to decide to have HRT for the rest of your days, you can always have it shorter term to tide you over the worst of it.

Could be. I first heard of peri menopause about six months before it was completely over. i felt so much better post meno and was very surprised so looked it up, only to find this thing called peri that I had been enduring for about ten years!

You need blood tests to see if you are in peri menopause.
Ask your Mum etc what age they started. My Mum was in full blown menopause age 48 ish) so we're my 3 older sisters . Unusual early. I would have probably but l had medical menopause due to total hysterectomy age 38.
So l went onto HRT..but only needed Estrogen.
If you're only peri .. I'd hang out as long as you can until its full blown..then you can have HRT for longer.
It was a miracle for me. Healthy skin/ hair/ nails.
Gave me energy and high libido.
Stopped night sweats/ dizziness/ anxiety/ all things associated with the menopause.
I had it for 20 years.. until l was 58.. but I'm 64 now and still have symptoms.. most women don't go " through" the menopause.. it ends when your life ends.
With so many celebrities now advocating for more help.. the Internet is a fantastic source of information.
My daughter is peri menopause but been refused HRT until older ( she's 40)

It is hard to know, especially as the only people who tend to respond to any internet or social media post about menopause are people having problems, but my experience in real life is most women do not want or need HRT,

There is another problem now, which is that women who enjoy the menopause and have a lovely time tend to get shouted down and even cancelled for saying so

And my experience as a peri meno 45hr old is that the vast majority of my peers are on HRT.

I fact it's one of the most common topics of conversation when we see each other.

I think it's marvellous and I'm delighted that I don't need to endure peri meno without it.

So far I've suffered prolapses, vaginal atrophy, night sweats, hair loss and horrific depression.

Now I'm on all of the HRT and I feel much better.

I know what happened when my mum didn't use HRT, she was angry for ten years, had awful skin issues and more.

This is so helpful, place marking. The honesty and experience are gold, I feel so much more informed. Thank you ladies

My clitoris/orgasm went awol over the course of 8 weeks.
I had a gorgeous new partner and the desire was certainly there but no function so to speak. Eventually adding testosterone helped but it's not back to normal. I feel quite sad about it.
I do wonder whether it would have been better if I'd known about/could get hold of testosterone earlier.

HRT has improved my sex drive. It’s also helped massively with insomnia, anxiety, dry skin & eyes, low mood & aching knees. I was keen to take it because I have osteoporosis in my family & am desperate to avoid the same fate.

It hasn't had the effect on me and I'm nearly 70 now.

You need blood tests to see if you are in peri menopause.
Ask your Mum etc what age they started. My Mum was in full blown menopause age 48 ish) so we're my 3 older sisters . Unusual early. I would have probably but l had medical menopause due to total hysterectomy age 38.
So l went onto HRT..but only needed Estrogen.
If you're only peri .. I'd hang out as long as you can until its full blown..then you can have HRT for longer.

You don't need blood tests to tell you if you are in peri menopause. Best practice guidelines say that if a woman is 45 or older, and presenting with menopause symptoms, then she should be treated as perimenopausal. Women under 45 might be offered blood tests to rule out other issues like deficiencies or thyroid.

I also think the idea that you only use HRT for a limited period of time is outdated. Many women remain on HRT for decades.

I was on HRT from peri till a couple of years after I had my last period.

When I was 60 we moved, and I got a new GP and she started me on post menopausal HRT.
It's been wonderful and I'll be happy to stay on it for life.

Great that it's worked for you! However you don't need blood tests to diagnose perimenopause. In fact they can give false results because oestrogen levels fluctuate.

If under 45, symptoms that could be other things should be investigated and ruled out. Average age of menopause is 51 with symptoms 10 years beforehand. That's an average, so there will be older and younger on that continuum. Your daughter can go back, quote the 2015 NICE guidelines on patient choice ref HRT.

HRT has caused me no end of bother. Bleeding, bulky uterus and now a 6cm fibroid causing my womb to expand. I'm not happy at all.

The HRT keeps me relatively balanced but is feeding the fibroid. I've got permanent tummy pain now and for the foreseeable , until the damn thing can be removed.

Wished I'd never ever touched hormones!

That's rotten luck :( Much sympathy!

It's what's holding me back, the fear of that sort of thing.

@Allthestories yes it's not great. I didn't have any of this before I started HRT and thinking about it, my symptoms weren't that bad. But, I decided to try HRT and it has and does balance my mood. However, I'm paying a high price now I feel, with all these issues now, it isn't worth it.

Feeling quite sad.

After being on the coil for years with no periods or menopausal symptoms,at 52 I suddenly got hot flushes, a cloudy head and insomnia, which left me so tired. I battled through this for several months until I decided one day that enough was enough.
I now apply a small pump of estrogel, which I rub on my arm after showering.
Things improved quite a bit after a couple of days, and I returned to my old self within a week. I haven't looked back.

Before HRT I couldn’t sleep, or if I did get off I would wake up after 30 minutes. My hair started falling out, my skin looked dry and I was rather ratty with my DH. It was dire! I feel so much better on HRT, back to my normal self, I could sleep and the hair mostly grew back too. My sister is also on it. My mum was on it back in the day and my MIL too…

@INeedAnotherName how long after your last period did things start to calm down ?

50 here. I suffer from
brainfog
forgetfulness
anxiety
Fatigue
achey joints
dry eyes and skin
difficulty sleeping

my obgyn says oh but you had all that before. Yes that’s correct, due to RA and low b12. However my symptoms are much, much worse or maybe they were always due to peri in the first place?! Then went on to tell me she only gives HRT for hot flashes, the only symptom I don’t have. 😖

My mum never took HRT. She had a fairly easy menopause although she did suffer from brain fog and forgetfulness. It all passed and she's sharp as a button now.

She is uneducated then 😩