Positive HRT stories please!

[countrytweed]

I'm 42 and after lots of visits to my GP armed with info (she tried to palm me off with antidepressants and contraceptives first - standard) I've been given a prescription for gel and Utrogestan which I'm picking up in a few days.

After years of multiple symptoms pointing at peri (the worst being crippling anxiety, nonstop tearfulness and all colour drained from life), I'm excited to give it a try. And also a little nervous. Can you please give me positive stories about how HRT helped you?  (trying to avoid the anti-Utro posts...)

I had 18 months of weird symptoms: terrible anxiety, driving anxiety, intrusive thoughts, thunderous palpitations, hair loss, aches and pains, the “internal fluttering” feeling that made me feel like my bed was vibrating…. Among others.

I’ve just finished my first round of patches. I can honestly say that my anxiety has seen a marked improvement, I’m driving more confidently, my health anxiety has decreased (although possibly because now I know I’m not dying of some mysterious disease). I’m sleeping well. I haven’t been binge eating either which was a coping strategy of mine. I’ve had only very fleeting thoughts and I’ve passed them off (I was having whole days of dark intrusive thoughts). The trembling/fluttering has gone completely.

I have had fewer palpitations over the month but in the last week or so they’ve returned. My hair is still falling out a lot. My leg aches have subsided but my rib/chest pains have not.

my overall thoughts are that it’s been positive but I don’t think my dose is quite right, I’m sticking with it for another cycle and then I’m going to go back to reassess. In the process of this I’ve been told I also have an underactive thyroid which has a lot of symptoms the same so some of these could be caused by this.

Oh and however I missed one- i do feel a bit more ‘there’ and as if I had been looking at life through a lens, that feeling has almost disappeared. I feel so much more ‘present’ and clear.

It's just brilliant. I had severe anxiety, insomnia, all sorts of strange symptoms I was honestly at the point I couldn't function. I started on the gel and felt better within 5 days. Its not a cure all, I still have hormonal shifts some months but it's bearable. I'm not sure where I would be now without it.

Thanks for your replies! Really glad it's helped with your anxiety - fingers crossed it does the same with me...

I like ustrogen so much I switched to taking everyday. It’s the thing that has worked the best on the anxiety.

I like the oestrogen and the testosterone too !

It’s just the anxiety was my first, and most “hanging around for fucking ever” symptom.

I feel better than I did at 47. I’m now 55 and only been on HRT a few months.

I've 6 weeks in and honestly it's been a game-changer. It isn't a magic bullet - brain fog, lack of focus is still a thing (although a bit better - and apparently that can take the longest to sort) but I am sleeping SO much better (still occasionally wake up but get back to sleep quite quickly), my rage has gone, anxiety is better, constant tearfulness and 'what's effing the point?' thinking has eased. I just feel like I'm getting back to me again. I'm on 2 pumps a day and was thinking of going up to 3 to see if I can get a bit more improvement, but actually I feel like i'm doing pretty well after 6 weeks so I'll reassess at 3 months.
And, just to say, I've been fine on the utrogestan. In fact I like it. I got a couple of months prescription to tide me over until I could get the Mirena coil (they only run clinics every 2 months at my doctors!) but I think I'll stay on the tablets. I sleep SO well the 2 weeks I'm taking them. I really do feel like they have a calming effect. Just back from holiday to Spain and it was a bit of a pain working out when to take them (because of the empty stomach thing) but apart from that, I'm a fan!
Hope you feel better soon (I started sleeping better within 3-4 days, and just generally started feeling better after around 2 weeks)

Oh I'm so glad for both of you... and really interesting about the Utrogestan. I'm actually going on holiday in 2 weeks, so half thinking should I wait till I'm back to start... just so I'm on home turf and my normal routine

Love love love my osteogel, absolutely a game changer for me. My brain is sharper, my mood swings and hot flashes are gone 🙂

That's great news that it's been such a game changer! Anxiety can be so debilitating.

Transformational. Massively improved my life, I;m still on it at 65 and plan to stay on it for the rest of my life. Main noticeable impacts have been on mental health, vaginal atrophy and libido (testosterone) but am aware of the long term benefits including reduced risk of osteoporosis, cardiac protection etc.

The health benefits are such a massive reason for starting it 👍🏼

I've just completed a month on Evorel Sequi patches. I can't say I've seen any drastic changes yet but my low mood has eased slightly. It can take up to 3 months for that side of things to improve apparently. But I will say that I have had zero negative side effects which was really worried about after reading some posts on here. I'm going to stick with it for a few months to see if my low mood and anxiety improve - those are my main symptoms.

I could sleep again and didn't have night sweats.
Mysterious joint pain cleared up.
I didn't have to pee all the time.
My flat mood mostly left me, as did the anxiety.
I had more energy for exercise and stepped it up.
I haven't really put on much weight. I'm 59 and weigh almost the same as I did when I was pre-menopausal, give or take two or three pounds. I am, however, pretty careful about my eating.

Dostors put me on proverba tablets and oestrogel my question is I take the tablets for 10 days after first day of period then stop but do I continue to use gel everyday she wasn't clear thanks