I really wasn't expecting this, I need some kind words.

[LoveBeingAMum555]

I am 52. Fit and healthy, not overweight. No menopause symptoms until February this year when I started with dry eyes, which quickly led to crippling anxiety, emotions all over the place, joint pain, vaginal dryness and difficulty sleeping. I feel like I have been hit by a bus.

What next? Do I keep going and hope this passes, or see my GP? Is it possible to get through this without HRT? Advice welcome.

I toughed it out without hrt because I was one of those who didn't want to mess with nature etc.
It was really awful to start with both mentally and physically, and I felt like my body was closing down.
I tried to counter this with exercise which really helped ( mainly because I like it anyway ). I am now 5 years on and feel back to my usual self, just a bit older that's all.
In retrospect it was 5 years of my life that I could have possibly spent feeling less shit, had I explored hrt more. Worth looking into before you decide.

EnjoythemoneyJane, very much similar to me and I love my hrt.
My own self returned.

I was turned down several times for HRT by various GPs. By the time the Newson clinic prescribed it for me the GP there said I would be difficult to treat because I had been left for so long ( and I have). Please don’t wait.

Don't you have to come off it at some point though? This is what puts me off.

Nope you can continue with it as long as you want

I’m never coming off it, and my gp agrees.

To me HRT hardly counts as medication - it’s just me getting back what my body has stopped making for me. It feels less unnatural than hair dye. And it’s prob ably saved my life, to be honest.

It provides protective effects on your bones and your heart whilst you are taking it though. So can help delay osteoporosis and help with heart health later on. Particularly important if you have early menopause.

I started to notice my periods becoming irregular when I was around 35, I put it down to being on the pill and coming off it in my mid 30's. My cycle was never regular afterwards, I didn't worry as I just thought my body was getting back to its own natural rhythm. It never did get back to normal, I had periods occasionally but there was no regular ity. I guess the menopause happened at some point during my late 30's to early 40's, never had a symptom to this day, however I now suffer badly with chronic osteoarthritis and have already had one joint replacement (obviously the baby of the ward) and on the waiting list for more, unfortunately my entire body is riddled with it....I just wish I had some clues and could have asked for HRT.

I’m so sorry you’re feeling so rotten.

The only way to ‘get through it’ without HRT is to keep on suffering like you are now, which I’m sure you don’t want to have to do. The reason HRT is often offered as a solution is because it works in way that nothing else can, so it really would be a good thing for you to try, at least.

I had:
dry eyes (dry enough to cause an infection)
joint pain
muscle pain
hair loss (as in clumps, not just a bit)
insomnia
and when I did manage to sleep, I would wake up drenched
brain fog, felt like I had a stroke, nothing came out at times
anxiety, crippling panic attacks
felt really low, like ‘what’s the point, might as well not bother’

After 2 week on Sandrena the change was unbelievable They’ll prise HRT out of my cold hands, I’m not going back to that shit show.

That’s my take on it, and I’m the type that can’t lift the head off the pillow before I take a paracetamol, I normally just get on with it, drink some water, put my feet up, it’ll be alright.

I'll be honest I can't be arsed to rtwt 😂

but please try sea buckthorn capsules alongside hrt (or without if that's your choice) they are amazing for dryness! My
mum has sjorgens and has been taking it for years and if you know about that condition the man you know dryness is BAD. Eyes, skin, vag, everywhere.
so as soon as I experienced dryness i
started them I take two a day and the difference is amazing. I am on hrt now as well but this really filled a gap whilst I was in the shall I shan't I camp

i'm too old and have been menopausal too long with honestly an easy ride of it BUT knowing about the bone loss/osteo and cardiac risk i wish i had taken hrt.
in the mean time there are over the counter solutions for dry eyes (moisturizing drops) and vaginal dryness, as well as sleep aids (i have access to melatonin).
so until you speak to your gp you can cover some of the bases on your own.

It’s not about what decade of your life you’re in; it’s about whether you’re suffering from menopause symptoms. I’m 48 and so far, no symptoms - so no HRT yet. But I know women who felt absolutely awful with perimenopause symptoms from their early 40s and HRT was/is the appropriate way to treat them. (Equally I have a friend in her 50s who has sailed through menopause with zero difficulty and hasn’t needed any treatment at all; I don’t know where she got that luck from!)

It's even more important to look at going on HRT if you have early menopause due to the risk of osteoporosis and cardiac issues.

I can't quite understand this thinking. First of all, many people never need to come off hot (I'm not planning to). But why not do what works today and worry about ten years from now when you get there? Anything can happen. If I were to be hit by a number 19 bus tomorrow, it would benefit no one for me to have deprived myself today. If, for some reason, I need to come off at some point, I'd rather deal with it then.

As others have said, if nothing else get a prescription for topical oestrogen for the vaginal dryness (pessaries and/or cream).

I've had a bit of a bumpy ride with systemic HRT (poor absorption of transdermal oestrogen and sensitivity to progesterone) so I'm going to try a private clinic.

But the topical stuff has transformed my burning vulva and irritated bladder.

And Yes lubricant too. YES is a brand name. I'm not just saying "yes to lube". 😆

I have similar symptoms plus massive weight gain. After being frightened of HRT having heard horror stories from two friends I have finally bitten the bullet and booked a dr's appointment to discuss it. I'm going to give it a go. It can't be worse.

I'm 56 and my few, sporadic symptoms are manageable however if they were causing a problem with functioning normally I'd speak to my GP about HRT.

Yes is great stuff! Really helps

I had poor reaction to oral prog but now use vaginally and it’s made a massive difference

The vaginal dryness is forever.

Even if you want to power through the rest, I couldn't face a future of miserable itchy vag, incontinence and recurrent UTIs.

Vaginal oestrogen is brilliant.

Need that on a t shirt 😂

This endless anti HRT shit doesn't make me want to be kind FFS. I appreciate you may have medical reasons why you ca t take it, if that's not the case then there's an almost perfect way to eradicate all the symptoms and get your and those around yous life back to normal. If you choose not to for some ridiculous reason, don't winge. Do consider the people you live and work with, it can be absolute Hell. I say that as a boss of a highly anxious, previously sane woman who may as well just take sick leave for the next few years, she is horrible to be around and brings no positive benefit at the moment, in the name of 'I don't hold with hormones' and as a 48 year old on HRT so I don't kill myself. This anti HRT shit is like the natural childbirth bullshit, don't belittle me for having a MEDICAL CONDITION and taking MEDICINE to treat it. The next 10 years or so are in your hands.

I think like everything else it's a personal decision and can work well for a lot of people. But do look at your own medical history and research weather it is suitable for you to take. I think doctors sometimes hand out these things without throughly checking who is fully suitable to take them.

For some reason our NHS isn't fully linked up, I could walk into a GP practice tomorrow and get prescribed HRT, but I have a medical condition which means I absolutely should not be taking it. So just make sure it is suitable for you first.

@MigGirl There are very few conditions that are contraindications.

Breast cancer
Recent heart attack or stroke
Clotting history
Severe liver disease

That's about it.

Is your own contraindication not on your medical records?

Your GP would surely know this if you asked for HRT? Or at least ask?

@JinglingSpringbells there are probably more then you realise, you haven't listed my condition. But I was reminded at my last review at the hospital that is wasn't safe. I think if you are under medical care for anything it's always worth making sure nothing is going to cause a problem as often GP'S don't seem to know.