What happens when you stop taking HRT?

[Gobolina]

Do you just go through all the symptoms then?

I stoped over summer. Am still peri though.
Stopped due to the anxiety Oestrogen gives me.
3 months off and aches and pains were back. Am back on a low dose now.

I think there's going to be a lot of variation - which hrt, at what point in the process, taken to target which symptoms, etc., I came off patches after 6 months as i hadn't noticed a helpful difference, i just felt slightly not myself. Then my family went into a period of mourning and I didn't want that effect. Afterwards I never went back on them. This was 2 years ago. I'm now a few weeks shy of the 12 month time since my last period, hot flushes are easing and emotions are feeling steadier, but i was also the lucky person whose periods were always brief and relatively manageable.

There is a fact sheet or similar on this on the website of Dr Newson (Balance).

You don't go through the menopause twice, if that's what you mean.
HRT doesn't delay menopause.

If you still have symptoms when you stop HRT, you'd have had those symptoms anyway (without HRT.)

Some women have symptoms forever ( consultant told me this) and some women have none, ever.

If you still have symptoms when you stop HRT, you need to decide if you want to carry on with it again, or wait and see how long your symptoms last, and if you can tolerate them without hrt.

I guess most people have more symptoms during peri due to the fluctuations of hormones. After menopause you are working with one level. Then you decide, as Jingling says, if you want to continue with HRT.

But you'd have to stop taking it to see where you stand.

A "forever menopause" sounds horrendous!

You don't go through the menopause twice, if that's what you mean.
HRT doesn't delay menopause.

I assumed you'd get all the symptoms once you stopped HRT as you then have to deal with the lack of hormones again.

It varies and no one can predict how you or they will be.
Some women find their symptoms have gone because, as a PP says, their hormones have stopped fluctuating as much as they do in peri. But some women have symptoms for much longer or for life.

You're right to think that for some women, loss of estrogen can mean symptoms for ever.

(My mum still had flushes in her 80s).

I can only tell you what my gynae consultant has told me, which is some women have symptoms for life (and some of those women are using hrt in their 80s and 90s), and others don't.

The advice from drs is to stop for 3 months (if you're thinking of coming off hrt) and see how you are. If you have symptoms, restart it.

So even if you stop and feel fine you might want to talk to a dr about your long term risks of bone loss or family heart disease.

This is exactly what happened to me - I stopped using HRT and went straight back into all the horrible night sweats etc again.

It's a long term thing surely, you have a lack of oestrogen so this is good replace.

I'm not thinking of coming off. I had premature ovarian failure so eary meno and the Dr originally told me to be on HRT until normal meno age, but at my last mammogram (we get them with out healthcare) the breast Dr said to only stay on them for a max of 5 years.

I didn't really have any symptoms, I had one hot flush right before I started HRT and I've had a bit of dryness, terrible moods - which seem to have resolved now I'm on sequential HRT (was on continuous for a year but had near constant bleeding so raised it at my last check up, a year later), but physically I've been ok pretty much.

Yes so basically, I think hope I'd be ok when I do come off.

You'll find there are many different opinions by breast specialists on how long to use HRT.

One very experienced specialist, Prof Michael Baum, says he's happy for women to stay on it for life as it can give many women quality of life. You can find him on a video here as well as other drs.

https://thebms.org.uk/publications/bms-tv/

In your case, with prem meno you don't start counting the 5 years anyway until age 51 because the years to 51/52 don't 'count.

It's your choice how long you carry on. The dr is supposed to explain risks and benefits and you make the final decision.

I am 60 years old. I would guess my last period was about 6 years ago, and about 5 years ago I started to use Evorel Conti patches. My main symptoms were hot flushes and vaginal dryness. I did not suffer mood swings or brain fog. I was very concerned about osteoporosis which my mother and grandmother suffered from osteoporosis.

I’ve now been using patches for 5 years. My previous gp told me he would stop prescribing them for me when I reached 60 because of the breast cancer risk. When I said my main concern was about osteoporosis he said - there are ‘other treatments’ for osteoporosis.

I’ve since moved areas so use a different surgery but ive now been called into my new surgery for a review of my HRT and I’m anticipating they want to stop prescribing it.

So how should I approach this review.

My feeling is I don’t really want to stop HRT. My main concern is definitely osteoporosis but I think it helps me in lots of other ways which I can’t quite define, and my understanding is that the breast cancer risk is fairly small?

On the other hand are there alternative treatments available which may be as good or even better?

I think I’ll have to give the doctor a fair hearing and be open to alternative treatments?

But without pre-judging this GP (who I’ve never met) my experience of GPs is that they are pretty clueless on the subject of menopause.

Id like to be well informed myself prior to the meeting.

Can anyone direct me to information regarding the pluses and minuses of staying on HRT for more that 5 years and the efficacy of the possible alternative treatments.

Im in Scotland if that’s relevant.

thanks

Sorry - thought I was starting my own post. Please ignore it and I’ll start again!

I tried stopping for a week. Woke up every night drenched in sweat and changed clothes. Slowly restarted at the end of the week but returned to a lower dose. Which was my goal.