Terrified of starting HRT

[Anani]

I've started having irregular periods after I had my second COVID jab in July 2022 (don't know if it's a coincidence or not but I have a strong feeling it is not). After around 6 months they've stopped, so since April 2023 I've had no periods whatsoever.
Went to the GP told her that a couple of times, have had one blood test done - she said it looks like menopause but she will refer me to a gynecologists.
Finally got referred, after another 6 months 😑. The gynecologist diagnosed me with POI and sent me for another blood test.
I had to wait another 3 months for them to call me (the Modality people) and advise on what's going on with me...When they finally called they told me my FSH was 61 when I took the test and that it definitely looks like I've started menopause.
I've decided I will go with the patches for the HRT (still have a womb, have 2 kids) as they seemed less "dangerous".
I got my prescription yesterday (Evorel Sequin) and after reading the leaflet, all I can say is that I'm terrified of using them - the possible side effects terrify me to the core (cancer, stroke, heart attack😳).
I don't know what to do...I don't have really bad symptoms - hot flushes just now and then, my moods do seem to fluctuate quite a bit but otherwise I'm fine (I think). But if I don't start the HRT ... osteoporosis, heart disease etc...😰

Nothing helpful to say other than I'm picking up my patches tomorrow and I'm also terrified!

How old are you?

If you have POI then that means you are under 40.

All the risks you are reading about don't apply to you.
They are very small risks that may affect women over 51 who use HRT for more than 5 years.

It will reassure you to read medical sites on this, like the Daisy Network (support group for POI) and the website of Dr Louise Newson (Balance.)

POI is a medical condition where you are at risk of heart disease, bone density loss and dementia, and HRT is there to help prevent these.

Take a little bit of time to do some reading on it, and hopefully that will reassure you.

I didn't take it and neither has my mother or my sisters.
None of us have any health problems.

There is a lot of fear mongering concerning HRT.

Fear mongering about saying you should take HRT and if you don't you will have health problems. 🙄

The OP has POI.

This is a medical condition and every doctor will suggest HRT to prevent problems later on.

If you aren't sure what POI is, and the risks, there is plenty online.

Forgive my ignorance OP - do your health issues increase the risks of HRT for you, or are you concerned about the general risks of HRT for all women? My understanding from speaking to my excellent GP about it is that the overwhelming medical advice is that the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks - so it does not make any sense to be "terrified" and I just wonder if you may be suffering from health anxiety possibly? (Which I have had myself and can be crippling - can also be treated successfully!)

But if your health conditions means HRT is risky for you then it would be wiser not to take it surely?

Do you trust the advice you have been given by your GP? I insisted on seeing the best GP at my practice, the one who "specialises" in HRT, after female friends had bad experiences with less informed GPs. If you don't trust yours OP maybe ask to see another. Nobody should be feeling "terror" due to taking a really common medication - I do feel you need some extra support here. Very best of luck.

What's disappointing @Anani is it looks as if your GP or specialist has not taken the time to explain fully why you're being prescribed HRT.

The list of possible side effects on the packaging isn't a substitute for proper medical advice. And, they don't apply to someone like you anyway.

This is a link to the importance of GPs being aware of the very serious risks of POI and why it should be treated. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33434082/

It's a medical paper and written as such, but you can see that the main point is early diagnosis and treatment of POI.

The second link is to a paper for the International Menopause Society and again, shows the seriousness of not treating POI. https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/wmd-2020-white-paper-english.pdf

If you're 'terrified' it surely means your Dr hasn't reassured you about your treatment, so would you be able to go back and have another chat?

The benefits of HRT with POI are massive, and the risks minimal.

Think about it like this - your ovaries have packed up prematurely and are no longer producing hormones necessary at your age for health. If your thyroid packed up prematurely you'd take thyroxine wouldn't you? This is no different.

I forgot to mention that I've just turned 38.

Thank you for all the information and for taking time to share it with me. Indeed the GP and the gynecologist haven't really taken the time to explain properly.
I have been online a lot since the diagnostic, searching, reading everything about it but when seeing the leaflet and reading it, it just scared me. 🫣

I don't have any other underlying conditions that will increase the risks of being on HRT. I was just concerned about the general risks...I guess reading the leaflet "spooked" me a bit.😏
Unfortunately, I don't really trust my GP as she doesn't seem too knowledgeable on this matter. You are right, I should probably see a specialist that can put my mind at ease.

If its any consolation I've not given the risks a second entertainment and just stuck the patches on and enjoyed the benefits.

As others have said the risks are small and you can always stop them at any point.

@Anani You might like to read this as well.
It's written by Dr Currie who is a consultant gynaecologist.

The page I've linked is helpful for you because it says that you should normally use HRT to age 51, but also that the risks associated do not apply to women your age.

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/pm-management.php

@JinglingSpringbells you are amazing. Thank you for all the info. I've already started reading and going through all the links/pages you've sent me and I feel so much better.❤️

every medicine will come with a leaflet that lists all the possible side effects, it’s the law. They always look scary, because they have to list everything reported during the clinical trials, whether related to the drug or not. Which is why the most common side effects are usually headache and stomach upset, whatever the drug. Your doctors should have done a better job of discussing relative risks with you so you can make an informed choice on whether to take the medicine.

one thing to think about though is that with HRT you’re taking hormones that replace what your body is no longer producing for itself. Such as insulin for people with diabetes or factor IX treatment for haemophilia. The risks for this are very different from drugs that are not naturally found in the human body. Not to say other drugs are unsafe, but hopefully thinking about it that way helps put HRT in context?

@Anani I'm really so very pleased that @JinglingSpringbells has put your mind at ease. She's done a brilliant job at pointing you in the right direction to the right information that you need.

Really - don't be afraid to use the HRT. You are merely replacing the hormones that your body would have had anyway, which is a very healthy thing to do.

I started about a year ago on the same patches, hoped it would help with energy and acid reflux.

Instead my back ache vanished within days and my monthly migraines stopped- haven’t had one in the whole year. And the regular cycle is a massive bonus.

I’ve still got the reflux, still gaining weight (those two are connected) my mood is way better but my energy still isn’t there. I’m still glad I started.

Read medical data and speak to the doctor
My surgery has a menopause expert

To be honest, you'd never take ANY medicines if you fretted over the possible side effects.

I was diagnosed with POI, have been post menopausal since 38 and it's a big regret of mine that I didn't start hrt when offered it in my mid 30s. That Women's Health study that incorrectly linked hrt to breast cancer hadn't been fully discredited at that point and as my mum had BC I was afraid to risk it.
Transdermal oestrogen like the patch or gel doesn't carry a clot risk like the older oral forms, if you want to be risk free as possible I would go with the body identical progesterone (utrogeston tablet) rather than a progestin form but either way the info leaflets for all medicines make for scary reading, it has to list all the worst case scenarios.

And did any of you actually have POI?

My periods became erratic/non-existent after my covid jabs at the age of 40-41. I have 3 chn and no complex medical history. I’d experienced some menopause symptoms but hadn’t attributed it to that. I went to the doctors and had similarly high levels and was put on HRT.
I’m now 43 and feel so much better for my hormones being managed. I was so lethargic and down prior to starting it, I hadn’t even realised by how much until afterwards.
I try to view it that I’m replacing something than adding a medicine/treatment. And that replacing is protecting my body as it ages. It’s easy to read a lot of stuff about HRT but my GP said the very low risk of breast cancer (for example) are massively outweighed by the impact of starting the menopause so early.

@Anani how are you doing? Have you started yet?