Who decided NOT to take HRT? What is your experience?

[Agree]

Please can menopausal / post-menopausal women share their experience of deciding not to take HRT and how it's worked out for you?

I'm not sure it's for me and am dithering.

My main reason for leaning towards HRT is vanity and not wanting to age quickly

@Newchapterbeckons Sounding very defensive there and not much substance to your rebuttal but carry on sticking the boot into the other women on this thread if that is how you get your jollies.

I've never taken HRT .
No particular reason but I had a 'good ' menopause, no really debilitating symptoms and all the niggles I ignored or worked through.

we still have no idea if HRT is beneficial to us in the long term ( if they could decide categorically I would consider taking it)

@Newchapterbeckons I don't know how to put this, so you might accept it.
However- here goes. I will try!

I have no interest in persuading you (or anyone ) to use HRT. But for the sake of information, there is medical research available to help women make their choices.

The International Menopause Society ( that's researchers, consultants, etc across the world) says that women on HRT have less all-cause mortality than women not using it and live longer.

There is also sound evidence that it helps protect against CVD if used within 10 years of menopause.
It reduces bowel cancer.
It stops bones thinning (while it's taken and that extra bone is there for years later compared to women who've not used it.)
It helps prevent diabetes.
Some sorts of HRT lower lipid levels (lowers cholesterol.)

This has been known for many years.

If you are interested, all this is online, on the IMS website and the BMS website.

Newchapter - I get your point about the state of the healthcare system, contradictory advice etc. I agree, it’s a mess. We can say the same around advice on vitamins for sale in Boots, antenatal care etc - none of it is perfect. Plenty of people out there peddling expensive remedies that have very little foundation but they seem palatable somehow. We all have to check our own bias and messaging

So how do you explain this? I came across this as my close friend has breast cancer (It has been a harrowing experience for her)

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-hormone-replacement-therapy-increase-cancer-risk

Downplaying the risks of ovarian and breast cancer is not something I feel comfortable doing. I have had several experiences with cancer at close quarters, it’s not easy to dismiss the risk, and I wonder why you have mentioned it.

This has been really interesting. My mum had breast cancer in her mid fifties (17 years ago) which was put down to being prescribed HRT. She also says that it was prescribed too early when she had naturally high hormones which she blames for then developing fibroids, which then lead to a hysterectomy. Breast cancer meant that she had to take arimadex which strips your body of oestrogen which feeds the breast cancer, which has now lead to her developing osteoporosis.

Currently aged 48 and had just assumed I’d have to get through any menopausal symptoms with gritted teeth, given my mum’s medical history. Luckily not suffering so far.

Are hormones measured before the prescription for HRT? Because if they aren’t is worrying for me. I don’t want breast cancer or fibroids!

I'm 51. My periods started going irregular 2.5 years ago. That's mostly the only symptom I had, I think. However, today is the first day of no bleeding since 21st December, so when I saw the GP on Monday (about something different,) she did book me for bloods to check my iron and we might see about HRT after thst.

I have had insomnia, but I have had bouts of insomnia since my school days; it's my body's go to stress response, and given I've not worked for a year since being made redundant, and money is getting short and I've been dumped and friends' parents keep dieing and stuff, my stress levels aren't totally under control. So maybe some is peri, maybe some is just me - who knows?

No, they aren't over the age of 45, it is symptom led.

If you aren't having symptoms then I guess you wouldn't take it.

I had terrible perimenopause symptoms- which I thought I could deal with naturally, hence me being on this thread! My symptoms kept on coming after menopause so I went on HRT as I was starting to feel my quality of life was so poor that the benefits outweighed the risks.

Each individual has to evaluate risks vs benefits.

HRT slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer. 1 in 7 women on HRT will get breast cancer. The difference is like 0.5%. And it's only for the combined HRT, so oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen only is no additional risk. And I'd need someone else to tell me if it was studied with micronised body identical progesterone because my memory tells me it was not. It has the same cancer risk as taking the pill and no one makes a fuss about that. You can also manage your risk of cancer across all controllable factors. So I take HRT but also don't drink, anymore, exercise regularly and have a healthy weight. So my risk of breast cancer is actually lower now than before when I started HRT.

And that's of course a general overview. If you have a family history of cancer you talk to your doctor, not the Internet.

Doesn’t everyone have some cancer in their family? Isn’t it 1 in 2 now?

This article unpacks the 1 in 2 figure, it’s not quite as straightforward as if looks

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26912-new-one-in-two-cancer-figure-sounds-scarier-than-it-is/

It’s not the point re cancer stats. The point is that there seems to be a consensus that it does increase risk. Maybe it is worth it for you, but as I said I am not comfortable with it.

Lots of people do get cancer unfortunately but there is no history of breast or uterine cancer in my family at all HRT appears to be protective against bowel cancer and lung cancer in women and lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer does as does heart disease, dementia and complications from osteoporosis.

@FlatSnuffy I believe you are right there has been no study of breast cancer with micronized body identical progesterone. Progesterone also protects against uterine cancer.

There are also studies suggesting that women who do develop breast cancer and were on HRT go on to have better outcomes that those who were not on HRT. Obviously it is all very complex and something that should be discussed with a doctor of course but it goes to show that the headline isn't always the full story.

One thing I find curious and don't understand is that there's always a lot of women who come onto HRT conversations to share the risk of cancer, but not on the alcohol conversations? Surely there are more women drinking alcohol than taking HRT so it's even more important to raise awareness there.

So what happens to your risk factors if you are doing both?

I have not come on to this thread with a strong feeling either way about HRT. I am surprised that it’s as contentious as it is.
I am guesssing if this was a male treatment we would see huge investment to ensure it is safe - unquestionably safe ( and no one would be thinking it’s the drugs companies with plenty of skin in the game producing the ‘evidence’ and counter studies)

No medical treatment is ever 100% safe because humans are not identical. Every medicine, every single one comes with a long list of potential side effects and a warning that it can in very rare cases cause serious complications

like everything it’s about evaluating risk v reward

I find it weird re the alcohol link too, like people take HRT to help reduce risks of osteoporosis, dementia etc but still drink, smoke, don’t exercise, are overweight etc - all of which will still make you more likely to suffer from these things.

Poor general health DOES have an impact on peri/menopause symptoms - I was listening to a podcast on Zoe the other week about it, particularly being overweight and how much it increases symptoms - the science is there, no point trying to say it’s nothing to do with it. Bring overweight brings so many problems.

I didn’t take HRT in the normal sense, didn’t think I needed to and all was ok. I think I look fine, am over all the horrible symptoms now but do use the vaginal pessaries to combat sore and dry vagina. I know this is a form of HRT but think that’s not what the OP means.

@Bluearrivabus But lots of us use HRT and don't smoke or drink, we exercise, eat a healthy diet, keep a healthy weight and always have. I have never drank or smoked, I've been vegetarian since I was 10 and I cook all my food myself from scratch with good quality ingredients. I exercise doing a mix of cardio, strength training and yoga, I get plenty of sleep, I meditate and reduce my stress levels. I still felt the effects of peri-menopause and elected to use HRT and feel it is a Net benefit to my overall health.

Exactly this. I have a uterus so HRT is not entirely risk free for me. If I was having a horrific menopause then HRT might be worth the small risk it poses in quality of life benefit. Right now, I don't feel justified with the small but real risk. I have found other effective ways for me.

We all have to decide where the balance of risk/benefit is for us. I'm not concerned what other women decide. It doesn't impact my own body what they do. I will just gather all the information and decide for myself.

@mogsjanuary absolutely - then IMO it’s something you should take. However I do feel that for those who do still drink, are overweight, don’t exercise, eat badly etc it may be more beneficial initially to try to sort those health problems out first beforehand - not just to relieve menopausal symptoms but for all the general health benefits too. So much can be gained from taking responsibility for your health but so many, many people don’t.
Of course there will always be people who still suffer from horrible symptoms regardless, & therefore HRT might well be beneficial, but it’s a good place to start as opposed to just taking medication right off without trying anything else first.

Well no - because if your symptoms are due to the reduction in hormones the other activities won't address that. They may make you healthier all up, but don't solve the lack of hormones that are causing the symptoms. We have oestrogen receptors all over our body. Exercising and healthy living doesn't send oestrogen to those receptors. And it's unfair to say women shouldn't access medication for their issues until they've done a laundry list of lifestyle changes first. We would be outraged if doctors were to gatekeep medication like that for other issues. Of course doing both is ideal. And for many women who are finding menopause and peri menopause hard, it's the relief HRT brings that allows them to make the lifestyle changes, it's not the other way around.

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