Frightened about HRT

[piscofrisco]

I'm 43, been having peri symptoms for 3 years on and off. I always said when the hit flashes started in the day and I was visibly swearing at my desk I would get HRT. That time has come and I'm fat, hot, tired and miserable.
Finally got a Drs appointment in 5 weeks (!) time-that was the earliest one available to discuss HRT. But I've heard so many horror stories about it-it made one of my friends almost psychotic.
I've never taken the pill, or anything like that. I'm just very nervous re the whole thing. Has anyone any positive stories about it that might settle me down. My peri anxiety is ironically in overdrive!

It was a life saver for me. Stopped the PMT where I would be almost suicidal, stopped the night sweats and disturbed sleep, stopped the persistent low mood and lack of energy. A mirena coil stopped the period floods.

All I do is change a patch twice a week and I am truly thankful that something so simple has so much benefit.

You can always adjust your regime to find the combination that suits you, or stop it altogether if you want.

Ah Thankyou for replying. I'm hoping this will be the case for me too.

Are you seeing a menopause specialist?

The nurse at the gp who is there self proclaimed menopause person. I have vitality cover, I wonder if I can get it via that?

A lot of the bad press is around older forms of HRT. The newer, body identical HRT has far fewer 'issues'.

For me, HRT saved my life. No joke. I was suicidal.

However, it took 8 months to work. For some of my friends it was more or less instant, but for me it took a lot longer. For some of my friends it didn't work. One friend is unable to take it (medically).

My point is: it's a very imperfect science. You may need to try different types of HRT, different combinations, to get it right for you and your body. You may need to change dosages over time, as your hormone levels fluctuate (I recently upped my dose as previous symptoms began to reappear). You need to allow 3 months for each 'change' (to type or dosage) to take effect.

Don't be afraid to experiment to find out what works for you. Don't be afraid to request a new nurse or GP if they dismiss you or aren't educated enough about peri/menopause or aren't supportive.

Every woman and every woman's body is entirely different. You may find it works straight away or you might find it's awful and doesn't work at all - but, for me, the fear around being so unwell I wanted to end my life far outweighed my squeamishness about taking a scientifically tested and proven medication that for the vast majority of women is safe, and works.

Good luck, I know how hard it is x

I had peri-menopause symptoms, did some research into what form of HRT I thought would work for me (be prepared for your GP not necessarily being an expert), and it’s been trouble-free. I’ve increased my estrogen twice when symptoms started to come back, but I’d say go into it with a positive attitude. I don’t want to downplay the experience of women who do find it difficult, but there are no horror stories among my friends!

So much misinformation about HRT around. I felt like an absolute basket case before starting HRT. I attributed my symptoms\behaviour to Covid lock down or telling myself it was down to my years of infertility etc.
Went into full meno at 40 and started on HRT 2 years later and the improvement in my life is unreal. I think I was lucky in that my GP is very pro HRT.
Pros:
I can now sleep the full night
Hot flushes drastically improved, if I feel one now I just realise I’ve forgotten to apply the patch after my shower
I was unemployed for a few years and after being on HRT for 2 months I got a job
I feel like I couldn’t concentrate properly before HRT and now I can be much more focused.
I suffered from migraines but post HRT the frequency reduced from maybe 1-2 a month to 1-2 every 6 months.
Weight stopped increasing

cons:
the sticky residue the patch leaves
cost

When I read articles that discuss restricting HRT I feel slightly panicked, like I 100% need this.

Just remember if it doesn’t suit you can stop at anytime.

I'm about your age and half way through a 3 month trial of HRT (patches).

I've never taken hormonal birth control (or any) amd I was worried about how I would react to HRT. But I was going slowly crackers- lack of motivation, increasing anxiety, crushingly low confidence, tiredness then rage and irritation combined with periods getting heavier and more frequent, assorted ached and pains. I couldn't ignore it any more.

I woke up the morning after sticking on the first patch and I felt like I had actually woken up. I hadn't realised I had brain fog too.

My first period on HRT was a bit lighter, a bit shorter. Next one due soon.

I was worried about negative side effects of progesterone. I have felt a bit low the day after I put on the first oestrogen+progesterone patch but I've been aware of that and know where it is coming from. I'm on Everol Sequi so 2wks oestrogen only then 2wks oestrogen+progestogen (norethisteron).

So far I'm glad I've started. I feel less mad and anxious. I was worried the hormones would send me totally mad but that hasn't been the case. So far, I know I'm early days still.

Talk it over with the nurse or GP and figure out what is best for you. But don't be scared.

Like any medication, there are risks that it won't work, or there will be side effects. But the side effects and risks are low.

Far more likely you'll be one of the millions of women whose lives have been transformed. I sleep for the first time in years. I have much less flooding which means I can leave the house when I'm on my period. My mood is smoother.

Be prepared though - at 43, they might push back on giving it to you.

Preface this by saying I have no medical qualifications but will pass on what I have heard as it might be a reassuring way to conceptualise it. It was described to me as “brakes” or parachute on the hormonal plunge. It is the dropping of hormones that causes most of the menopause symptoms and effectively it works to slow that fall so your body can adjust and cope better on the way down. With body identical, you are just softening the slope of that descent. So rather than introducing something totally alien, when the fit is good you are actually lessening the change on your body - although by actively “taking” something it is easy to feel you are causing change.

I have also heard that one of the benefits of that slower adjustment is that it can help prevent dementia.

Thankyou all. It's reassuring to hear it had worked for people in some really great ways it seems. I actually feel really tearful today because I feel so shit, but also because I'm so anxious about it. Vicious circle I suppose. Hopefully HRT might break that a bit.

@Astella22 Just in terms of the cost - if you're in the UK, are you aware of the prepayment certificate you can get for HRT? £19.80 for 12 months.

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-ppc/hrt-ppc

I couldn't have done without HRT during the last five years or so. It's got me through deaths of my father and my mother, very recently, career issues, etc. And being able to sleep was the clincher.