get HRT or not

[Carol52]

Hi I am 52 and have not had a period for over a year and even then the odd one over 18 months.
A bit of history my father died 2 years ago who I cared for full time . I then had a car accident which I suffered whiplash and other on going injuries.'I have 2 teenage children and have just recently had to go back to work in over 15 years which is mentally and socially hard. As I was with my dad and children for all that time.
Anyway my doctor has finally after constantly saying let's get you sorted with the accident injuries before looking at the menapause has agreed an appointment for HRT.
I am a complete worrier and suffer from anxiety . I had a side effect from a changed medication a few years ago so I do not like medicine anyway.
I am worried about side effects and obvious the risk of cancer etc.
I know I am struggling with alot of the symptoms hot flush brain fog all my bones ache and feel heavy and weak. I can't sleep , my speech is muddled done times . I fidget can't concentrate moody oh I could go on ladies.and my daily live is hard .
Any advice would helpful.

For the bone protection alone and reducing the risk of osteoporosis it’s worth having HRT.
It does help with sleep -as does high strength magnesium.
It prevents hair thinning, middle age spread, aching, the terrible moods etc etc.
You sound like you are really suffering so it is well worth trying. You are replacing what your body can no longer produce. Worth trying to ease your suffering

I pushed against HRT for a long time, worried about cancer etc, but when it got to the point where I didn’t want to go out, I knew I had to do something. I forced myself to commit to a three month trial, and have never come off it. I wrote down how I felt and my symptoms before I started, then compared three months later, and the change was worth it.
And I saw a doctor on TokTok who said that HRT doesn’t cause breast cancer, it just feeds it if you get it.

While you are considering HRT definitely get a magnesium supplement on board. It has helped a lot with my sleepless nights!! Am also taking B complex and evening primrose oil

My perspective on the risks associated with HRT are that I'd much rather have 10 good years on HRT than 20 shit years without it. And it wasn't just me that went through shit until I got my HRT sorted - my dh and our children also suffered.

I have so far had 14 good years on HRT and they will prize it from my cold dead hands.

The risks associated with HRT are tiny. Yes, the risk of developing breast cancer may almost double after 10y on HRT, but, unless you already have risk factors such as a family history of breast cancer, that is a an increase from of 27 cases per 1000 women not using HRT to 41 cases per 1000 women using HRT. (www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.353.pdf p4). A tiny, tiny proportion of women using HRT - less than half a percent.

I would think that, as you are always struggling with the effects of menopause, your risks of a car crash from tiredness, or inability to hold down a job from brain fog, or severe family disruption from mood swings and anxiety, are much, much higher than your risk of illness from HRT.

Not forgetting the risks of osteoporosis and the severe discomfort of vaginal atrophy and thinning skin that are associated with not taking HRT.

Give HRT at least a year's trial. Along with self-care such as good diet, multivitamins, exercise, and me-time, whether that's spa/book/hobby.

Worst typo: should say

as you are already struggling with the effects of menopause,

(Can't edit on the app)

You could try it for 3 months or so and see the benefits? Millions of women take it and we’ve all weighed up the risks and benefits.

Give HRT a go! If you try patches, it doesn’t feel like you’re taking medication. Good luck.

Thank you. I had not mentioned the hair loss. The car accident was not my fault I have to say.
Thank you for your advice. It is a lady doctor I am seeing which also helps.
I will see what options she gives me. I gave just bought Davinia McCall’s book as the doctor had mentioned it was also packed with information

Good luck op. My friend swears by evening primrose tabs. The patch did not suit me at all broke out in boils and oily cysts . Im on vagifem as she feels I need something. Im 51. My energy is up and down.

Oh god no . Boils snd cysts ardid you say that was because of the patches . Oh bless you this is what I am getting more worked up about the side effects as well .

Zits of lesser or greater severity appear to be part of the menopause. After 25y of immaculate skin I was having breakouts at the same time as my teenagers! Not as severe, thank goodness. And only for a few years.

The vast vast majority of patch users do not have any adverse reaction to the patches - and even if it did there are gels instead. You are catastrophising a bit - if HRT had massive negative side effects you wouldn't have women queuing and clamouring to give it a try.

For me HRT sorted out my very low mood, my vaginal atrophy and my lack of libido. I don't know what state I'd be in without it.

I spent about 4yrs crying, while I walked the dog or did the ironing. I thought I must be a terrible person, or I had fallen out of love with my husband. Turns out it was my hormones.

I've just done a full year on HRT and I feel a million times better.

HRT doesn't cause breast cancer. Unopposed oestrogen can cause endometrial cancer (uterus) which is why you take a progesterone to balance out the oestrogen.

There's a brilliant podcast 'you are not broken' an American urogynae called Kelly Casperson who is fanatical about sharing that message.

I can't recommend HRT more highly. A year ago I was suicidal, I couldn't sleep through the night, I needed about 4 wees before I got into bed and my period were flooding which left me anaemic.

Now I sleep through 7 or 8 hrs every night, wee like a normal person and don't cry all the time!

Op you could be fine what suits one may not another. Think Im prone to crap skin anyway! My friend finds patch good she on 25 dose

Oh absolutely. I love the patch. And I have had excema since I was small. The patch doesn't irritate me.

I've never had spots, before or after HRT.

And the mirena works better for me than utro.

I’ve got the patches but haven’t tried them yet. I’m perimenopause, early forties but feel like I was given them too easily without any proper discussion. It was a case of let’s do bloods and if they come back normal we’ll give you HRT! I’m also cautious of the side effects but also just wondering if early 40’s is too young for HRT when still having ‘normal’ periods but all the other crap that comes with perimenopause.

just wondering if early 40’s is too young for HRT

On the contrary! If you are starting menopause early, it is even more important to take HRT because you are at greater risk from osteoporosis.

You are lucky. Most women who start menopause early really struggle to get appropriate treatment. I went to the GP with menopause symptoms at 41. One GP put me on thyroxine because I had a young baby, even though my blood tests were not conclusively low for thyroid. Another GP wanted to put me on anti-depressants because I was 'too young' to be menopausal. The GP who finally put me on HRT emphasised the importance of protecting me from 10-15 years more than average of developing osteoporosis.

That’s really good to know, thank you for the advice.

Thank you for all your replies. I am at the drs this morning. I have read a few articles and the gel seems a good start? I will see what she says. I am worried about feeling ill with any side effects but I think that is my anxiety building up.
I will post again after I have been as done information may help others.