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

@MrsMarzetti May I ask if your induced menopause was because your ovaries were removed, if you don''t mind saying? I've had this surgery and am in HRT/don't know what to do limbo at the moment and tbh, I think the worry of it all is making me depressed. I'd be encouraged if there was someone out there who has had the same surgery and managed to move on OK without HRT. I'm about ready to throw in the towel on HRT, tbh.

I have not taken it and never will, because I don’t believe in meddling with the hormones/natural chemicals in my body and I haven’t struggled so much I have needed to take HRT.

I have accepted the natural course of menopause and made life style changes instead. I trust my body to work with my age and I follow its cues. I am happy that all the generations before just simply slowed down a little at this point, but we live in a frenetic society and insist our bodies perform rather than question why we have accepted such high demands on us.

I don’t believe HRT is a miracle cure and the side effects are being massively under reported. Oxford have published papers recently outlining the risks. Take a look.

Massive generalisations there.

For reference I am 77, never took HRT - my bones are fine, my heart is fine, I do not have diabetes or dementia. I know someone who took HRT for 20 years and has diabetes and heart problems.

Look at your genetic inheritance to see whether you NEED to take HRT.

The study that came up with the conclusion that if you don't take HRT - you will likely get osteoporosis. dementia, heart attacks, diabetes has not been based on a long term study of many more women TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE OTHER PROBLEMS THEY MAY BE PRONE TO.

Davina has built a following and sold books on the back of very little evidence - she is not an expert.

@HRTforme Not quite the 80% you mention......

In the UK, 21.9% of women and 6.7% of men aged 50 years or more were estimated to have osteoporosis.
Source: www.osteoporosis.foundation
United Kingdom - International Osteoporosis Foundation

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

Just reiterating the OP's question in case @cardibach and @HRTforme missed it.

https://www.rsm.ac.uk/latest-news/2023/new-research-on-hrt-and-dementia-shouldn-t-change-guidance-say-experts/

Hrt can help with sleep, mood and energy which in turn will have an impact on appearance, if that really is a deciding factor for you. I could tell when my friend started hrt as she looked better - sleep helps with everything.

some people have great genes and won’t need it but for many of us I think it’s about when you choose healthcare - now as a preventative or later when you’ve got bone/heart issues. Very few of us will sail through life without needing any meds so it’s more a case of when. Hrt products are used to treat osteo - I’d rather take it before I have issues

Just to clear I look very young for my age and did not take HRT. I am average weight and comfortable with myself. I can’t see any reason why HRT would advantage me. I worry most about associatied hair loss.

I would also say if you are taking the lifestyle route with menopause management that will include much more exercise and fresh air, massage and rest.

If it was grim, why didn’t you take HRT? Just curious.

I'm in France and I was desperate to have HRT for a couple of years, but they won't prescribe it if you're peri menopausal, only if you're menopausal here.

I suffered from extreme anxiety and low mood, night sweats and weight gain. I have lost weight, mainly because I rarely drink anymore. My sleep is bad but I kind of feel I'm past the worst symptoms, so I'm not sure I feel the need now. I exercise quite a bit. Maybe that helps? The thing that concerns me is that it is not a long term solution. Do you stay on it forever? What happens when you come off it? Accelerated aging?!

HRT significantly reduced your risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Seems odd to choose not to take it.

This is why I don’t take it:

https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/study-provides-new-estimates-of-breast-cancer-risks-associated-with-hrt/

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjq8d2mxdCDAxVwlYMHHZnpDIwYABAAGgJlZg&ae=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6vHdpsXQgwMVcJWDBx2Z6QyMEAMYASAAEgIevfD_BwE&sph&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJuRoO-wmQ8RnIpYwfmeHiUkg6AqgY2cx391wEijBnnclWapm_-6W&sig=AOD64_0uGQxK8xlAeCs44_WaygFwg0EaqQ&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjEkNemxdCDAxVT7rsIHY_FBjoQ0Qx6BAg-EAE

@TheCurtainQueen it was grim, but it was manageable. I don't think at any point I thought it unbearable..so I just plodded on, knowing it would come to an end one day.

I had a lot of other stressful life things going on at the time; elderly parents, very ill sibling, a job that I hated and found horribly stressful. It all got mixed up with that and life being pretty shit..

Maybe HRT would have helped everything, but it wasn't something I wanted

I feel like we are not being told the full story to be honest. My heart, blood pressure and bones are fine. I have no need for a drug that increases my risk of cancer.

The pp who said being active and leaner has ‘fuck all’ to do with menopausal symptoms is wrong, sorry - it’s been well documented that women of a healthy BMI suffer less from symptoms. Doesn’t mean they don’t get any, obviously, but one of the best things you can do for yourself during the menopause is keep your BMI at a healthy level. Obviously this helps with all the other risk factors associated with being overweight too eg heart disease, cancers, stroke etc.

Yes exactly and you can do that by eating well, preferably a diet designed for the menopause and lots of exercise.

I think it’s up to women to decide what is right for them. For me, I feel the risks are too high and I am happier as I am.

I’m all for research and evidence on hrt but the Oxford / telegraph article is 4 years old and was based on old types of hrt. Thankfully more research is now happening

Early menopause, no HRT through choice. Had usual flushes, palpitations and anxiety over 6 months after last period then that was it.
Take vaginal oestrogen but nothing else.
Core body temp runs a little higher than before but that just keeps me warmer in bed and is a good thing lol.

Well said.

@Newchapterbeckons I'm not going to get into a to-ing and fro-ing over this, but I want to draw your attention to one thing as you have copied a couple of links to research to balance out the information.

The report your linked to didn't include women using micronised progesterone. (Or if it did, the number was minute- something like 36 out of the entire trial.)

Most women now are using micronised progesterone.

The British Menopause Society has produced a statement, saying that there is no evidence that using HRT for 5 years, if they are using micronised progesterone, increases breast cancer.

The research you linked to wasn't based on new evidence, but on a lot of research from 20 years ago (which has been shown to be flawed), some research that wasn't even peer reviewed, and other dubious research trials (including the Million Women study that is also now regarded as flawed.)

I tried it but just couldn't get on with it. I was continually nauseous and vomiting and it didn't settle. I tried several patches and pills for quite protracted periods of time and just felt ill all the time. I don't know if it's relevant but I couldn't tolerate hormonal contraception for the same reason and I was hospitalised with hyperemesis repeatedly when I was pregnant. So I guess I "chose" not to take HRT but it was Hobson's choice really.Apart from hot flushes/nightsweats for about 5 years I don't think I have had many problems compared to some. My Mum had osteoporosis though so it does worry me and I'm a bit fanatical about vitamins and minerals and doing as much weight bearing exercise as possible,

I’m 66, my peri and meno symptoms were mild. With time decreased and went away.
i didn’t seek, nor was I offered HRT.
i have no signs of ill health YET.
i still feel I look young,
My view is genetics plays a big part.

My Mum said most of her friends were not on HRT and managed menopause by exercise and a healthy diet. I was sceptical as for her generation menopause was taboo and women suffered in silence but then I read if you have taken the pill for years that can exacerbate menopause symptoms and her generation had less or no time on the pill compared to my generation.

I am not on HRT, few menopause symptoms (or maybe they are just ageing / life with teens) as my husband has the same symptoms (poor sleep, irritability - he also has weight gain, I do not). I have never been on the pill.

That's not to belittle women that suffer greatly but after reading this thread I haven't read anything to convince me I need HRT (at the moment).