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

Indeed. And this is why I find these types of threads difficult as none of us know any of the poster's medical history and for this reason, no one here should be offering any type of medical advice. Signposting to where proper support and medical advice may be sought, yes. Advising - definitely no.

I clearly did not say that you said she had to take HRT at 54, @JinglingSpringbells . Maybe time to take a breather and put your 'lay expert' hat back on the peg for a bit, perhaps? Just kindly advice.

Hysterectomy 22 years ago at 40. Tried HRT but it made me I'll. no I'll affects from not having it! I exercise and that's made all the difference
I'm convinced my late MIL got RA from decades of unchecked HRT that they just kept on giving her. It limited her mobility so she could barely walk in her early 60s.
At the same age I ran a half marathon.

I know some people say that oestrogen can help with collagen production so maybe that's the case. For me it's the great nights sleep that makes all the difference. But it doesn't stop you aging and I think the idea that we're taking it for vanity sake is totally off the mark!

Kindly advice @SebastianFlytesTrousers ?
You posted I'd said something which I hadn't.
Maybe you need to read more carefully.

And no need for the rude comments about 'expert advice'.

@FlatSnuffy I do think the improvement in sleep is one of the best things about HRT for sure. My mother stopped being able to sleep much at all after the menopause and its slowly killing her :(

What's milk got to do with anything? You do know that the use of growth hormones has been banned in dairy cattle since 1988 in Europe and the import of cattle from the US and Canada that have received steroids has been banned since the mid 90s?

I didn't take it. Also, I had very few symptoms that I could identify. A few hot flushes, but I took a layer off and it resolved. Probably I've been lucky, but I also do think that there is something to be said for not expecting a big menopause.

My symptoms were awful and HRT has made such a big difference to me, and my family and my relationships. I love it!

I take medication for other health issues and so I’ve got no choice but to take medication. That’s life sometimes. It’s not an either or, sometimes it’s just the only option.

I will also add, my diet has changed hugely most due to my other issues. I no longer drink AT ALL. No bread or high carbs. Low gluten. My middle age spread has gone. I have aged but my body looks great. So I think part of getting to this age is feeding ourselves correctly. I realised my diet had remained the same as when I was in my 20’s.

Do you think I "expected" my symptoms into being? I didnt even know perimenopause existed and yet it hit me like a ton of bricks. Honestly this is the bs I posted about earlier, people not being able to empathise with the experiences of others or dismissing them in a judgmental way.

I don't get why HRT can be so polarising, you see it on this thread. I think it is just a personal choice, no right or wrong just what feels best for the individual

The lack of clear, consistent guidance contributes to this, and the confusing, conflicting information. It's incredibly serious stuff, and women are left sifting through headlines and soundbites, latching onto the results of one survey ('HRT protects against dementia!') and including that in their decision making, only to be hit by evidence of the exact opposite outcome a few weeks or months later.

Whichever path you've chosen to take, it's frightening and disempowering to have others - especially those who have chosen the alternative one - to confront you with statistics about cancer, alzheimers, heart disease, osteoporis. It makes us all defensive because we feel like we're literally arguing for our lives, and to justify choices that those who have chosen differently may understandably find threatening to their own worldview.

Ultimately we all have to become experts on our own bodies and decide for ourselves. This relies on reading behind the headlines and social media conversation to find solid facts and work out how they apply to our personal circumstances. It involves being aware of bias (including financial), and being wary of sources that seem to push us in one direction or another. And it's bloody hard (especially when suffering from brain fog.)

It's really regrettable that threads like this can end up feeling more shouty than supportive, but I truly believe that this is due to the shocking way that menopause (and women's health generally) has been ignored by scientific research, sidelined by medical professionals and viewed as shameful by employers and society. What is really shameful is that we are having to navigate an issue that is fundamental to our ability to live healthy, pain-free, fully-functioning lives by picking our own way, largely unaided, through a medical minefield.

I think I might start saying that I am also doing it naturally with my body identical yam extract supplements 😁

YES! me too.

My STBXH said "this is not HRT it is a gel" having expected (delightedly and sneeringly, that I would be taking horse urine tablets like his 76 year old sister did)
Yes, I said, " its just yam gel I rub on my arms, no big whoop". No artificial hormones for me.

I'm too young to be left to sit on the couch dribbling because I'm too tired to be out and about, exercising, partying with my friends etc

I'm going to assume that that was an unfortunate choice of words rather than a deliberate attempt to be offensive to older women who don't and didn't take HRT.

The entire post was supposed to be slightly sarcastic and hyperbolic to make an overall point which is that I am not interested in "slowing down" etc at the age of 47 and that I am nowhere near being a grandmother and that for me personally, HRT helps me to manage the symptoms of peri-menopause - most notably that I am constantly tired because I sleep badly without it and am often overwhelmed and stressed by the smallest things.

I forgot that sometimes that doesn't come across terribly well on MN.

I expect it's in response to those posts that are sniffy about HRT and the post about how society should support us to "slow down" (I'm paraphrasing).
If you can get through the menopause without it having an adverse impact on the life you want to live, then that's great and HRT isn't needed.
But there are quite a lot of posts on here that are quite sneery about the choice to take it. Plus that lovely one I quoted yesterday that implied menopause symptoms are actually due to women being overweight or obese

Yes, those posts are always annoying.

The woman I know who is the BIGGEST fan of HRT and who is loud and proud about how it has completely changed her life is ALSO a glamorous, slim, healthy, SAHM to teenagers. She is the first to admit that she has a really lovely, relatively easy life with little stress, great health and fitness etc - but nonetheless her life was being destroyed by peri-menopause and getting HRT was absolutely life changing for her.

Just goes to show how things can be read differently.

As a grandma still very active (in retirement) I found a lot of that post really offensive, and actually agree that if women did slow down at the menopause it would be easier.

However the key here is choice

It's OK I've learned a lot along the way.

Also I didn't clearly explain my own situation at the beginning and have maybe even done the dreaded 'drip feed', yikes, sorry!, which was never my intention, so please forgive me anyone who found that annoying.

I'm thinking twice about HRT as I'm not keen on oestrogel (current treatment) for following reasons:

1. I've noticed eostrogel is giving me a tension headache and my pre-existing tinnitus is twice as loud within a few minutes of using it. 2) I don't like the alcohol smell as I'm recovered from alcoholism, a small thing but on a daily basis is making me feel unhappy. 3) I don't like the having to wipe it on and wait for it to dry and then wondering if I'm dry enough etc, especially in a winter time. 4) I see plenty of people are unhappy with oestrogel and say it's 'changed' and doesn't work for them which gives me anxiety.

My GP has switched me out to oestrodot which my pharmacy have ordered in. However, now I'm wondering how will that work if I get wet in the shower, bath, swimming... am I going to be in a constant state of wondering if I've drenched my 'dot' or it's fallen off. I don't like the idea of that. I don't like the idea of being dependent on anything that if I can't get a hold of it, or I forget to pack it, I might feel very unwell / unbalanced etc.

I was contemplating going HRT free in order to simplify my life and let nature take it's course and try other methods that might help such as lose some weight, get fitter, some lifestyle changes to help happiness levels, and alternative treatments.

I'm still undecided and in the 'contemplation stage' and at the moment taking eostrogen. My GP doesn't want me to have a mental health crash, that's her main concern as I've had severe breakdowns / episodes of chronic depression in the past (not related to hormones).

I'm interested to know this too.

I met an 80 y/o woman recently still taking sandrina and her GP suggested coming off it, she said 'no way'!

So that left me wondering well hmm how long is one intended to take HRT after either after natural menopause or surgical menopause? Forever? Or wean off it one day? And if so, does one then get symptoms?

I think the confusion has come because menopause is described as ‘one year after your periods stop’ and that sounds like there is a deadline or date in mind when it’s all sorted. But the body just changes with age so each woman will surely feel different and experience did health issues. I don’t think GPs and NHS website are always clear on this, which isn’t helping.

no idea when most should stop/change hrt and im not sure most healthcare professionals know either - which is a women’s healthcare scandal to be honest

I'm so sorry about your mum.

But you're right, sleep is essential for cell renewal. And the best time for that is between 9pm and midnight surprisingly.

Sorry for doing the dreaded 'drip feed' 😮

My periods never stopped prior surgery but because of complications and a surgical injury, I was actually bleeding all day every day for 17 months.

However, in the midst of that horror, I was still having a regular hormonal cycle and seemingly not even in peri menopause (although obviously I'd be nearing menopause at that age regardless).

I had my hormone levels tested at various intervals by the gynae teams and due to the sheer number of scans and MRIs / CTs, they agreed I still had active follicles and eggs releasing.
But my body would have maybe been declining in the level of oestrogen?

I've never had a hot flush or night sweat and I didn't after surgery despite I wasn't immediately given the oestrogel due to hospital error. I'm strictly vegan for 30+ years and have always consumed a very high level of foods / drinks that are considered high in phyto-oestrogens and had began to wonder if this was protecting me from menopause symptoms (or had even caused all my severe gynae issues, works both ways).

As for mood, energy levels, etc, I've always battled my mental health, anxiety, depression, sleep, and have many issues. Of course being injured and chronic pain and bleeding all day for 17 months simply destroyed my state of mind and I was unable to keep fit.

Now, I'm in physical and mental recovery from what turned out to be a brutal and not straightforward surgery, so it's going to be quite some time before I've got a baseline of 'normal' - in fact I have no idea what 'normal' would look like just yet!

I guess taking the oestrogen is giving me some kind of hormonal stability and that's the most important thing whilst I'm in surgery recovery and educate myself on all these issues.

@Agree , unfortunately HRT is a bit trial and error at the start. It takes a while to settle and then tweak. Many women find the patch great and shower, swim etc with no issue. I think there are knacks to getting it to stick if you're having any problems. Seeing it as an exploratory process rather than one that you have to get perfect first time may help your anxiety?
If you want to stop you could try tapering down the doses over time (with doctor support) and see how you feel at the lower doses.
You could also ask for oral progesterone. It doesn't just have womb protecting properties but can also help with anxiety, mood etc. Unfortunately it's also going to be trial and error. I know it's hard to hear that and there isn't a simple formula to just make everything work straight away.
Wishing you the best.

Thanks for this idea, I was on high doses of oral progesterone prior to surgery (in order to try and stop the daily bleeding) and I did notice it made me feel slightly calmer and relaxed and a little sleepy so I took it before bed time.

As I have no uterus now obv my doctors say don't take it but I have read some research that says we do still need a bit of progesterone for other parts of the body. I guess regardless my body is also getting used to the sudden disappearance of high doses of progesterone so I'm really in flux.

Your post was defensive and offensive.

Hyperbolic, overplayed is how you describe it, however you wish to dress up your post it felt rude and disrespectful to older women.

You may take HRT to party or to live in the fast lane, that’s your choice. In the same way I don’t wish to take it.

It’s nice for us both to have the choice, what a privilege - especially for those that are truly suffering terrible menopauses that are wrecking their quality of life.

To me that is a world away from someone buying into the dishonest narrative that it makes you ‘young’ again or have the energy of a teenager. It feels like a deception as nothing can do that. It is putting millions of women potentially more at risk of breast cancer or dementia for a vanity project. I imagine this plays to the insecurity of many women that feel they are not good enough exactly as they are.

If you are struggling with this stage, take HRT and accept the very small risk it poses, a good quality of life is really important, but not because you expecting it to reverse the years etc.

I am really sceptical about the medical science tbh and think it’s pretty disgraceful that we are still so ill informed in the first place. For every study published about the dangers another is immediately released with the opposite ‘facts’ meanwhile the drug companies are literally rolling in the profits making billions.

That makes sense, I'd say the shock of loss of progesterone would feel really rough. It made a huge difference for me. You're in recovery from both challenging surgery and a big change in hormones. If your doc isn't a menopause specialist then it might be worth consulting with one as your case is complex.