HRT or no HRT

[Essieloulou]

Hi, has anyone gone through the menopause naturally , wothout HRT and did you use any supplements, im trying tp weigh up pros and cons

Tha.k you

Sadly, I think some people do. There'll always be someone who says "I try not to take anything", and good luck to them I suppose. But it can come across as a bit superior. Like people who are fiercely proud of NEVER HAVING HAD A DAY OFF SICK 😊

Thank you. I agree with all your other points by the way.

There are videos from some of the top UK menopause specialists talking about this issue and the fear the packaging creates for some women, as every single 'negative' with systemic HRT is there.

I meant that if they were using vaginal estrogen they wouldn't need to call it 'HRT'. If they use HRT at 90, good for them. I know of women who do!

But why wouldn’t they, any more or less than younger women?
It’s a hormone. You are taking it (ok, topically, but still taking it) because you don’t make it any more you are replacing a hormone for therapeutic reasons. I don’t get why you wouldn’t call it HRT.

Surely the only difference is that those are very small amounts? An awful lot of bioidentical HRT is topical in application, but in larger amounts, is still considered HRT?

I think I've said enough about this today😃
Topical vaginal estrogen isn't usually referred to as 'taking HRT' although in practice it's replacing vaginal estrogen.

@user9876543211 I don't know why this is causing so much 'interest'!

Because it’s a bit puzzling and not something I’ve thought about before, that’s all!

Well as a user of bio identical hormones, I've always considered the compounds I apply topically as systemic HRT and my blood tests would seem to confirm that. So I was surprised by the insistence that the vaginal oestrogen supplements weren't considered a form of HRT.

So not really sure what your implication is with the scare quotes around the word interest?

Same here, but I can see the point now it's been explained - that women who worry about the risks of HRT (even though the risks are minimal, there's still a lot of fear out there and even GPs who will still say 'I don't prescribe HRT, it's too risky - don't get me started on them!) - so yes, women who do worry about HRT could be put off using topical oestrogen if they see if labelled or described as 'HRT'.

I know that I used to have no idea what 'HRT' meant anyway, and thought of it as all sort of lumped in together as something that you were supposed to take to stay youthful and attractive! I was opposed to it on principle as a tool of the patriarchy 😊 Then I started learning what it actually is, and had lots of 'aha!' moments.

Anything that helps women get the treatment that helps them live in comfort and good health gets my vote.

I use an Estring but i wouldn't class this as HRT primarily because its such a low dose and only deals with the one symptom. It's not helping symptoms that HRT (as we commonly class it) such as hot sweats, insomnia, etc etc.

The soy based diet helps with hot flashes as you have found

Certainly didn’t sail through menopause and wish I had been allowed HRT.

An aside - when did we all start calling them hot flashes? They’ve always been hot flushes in the U.K. - and that makes far more sense. There’s nothing flash about them.
Edit: by ‘we’ I mean most people. Not me. I use the correct terminology.

@Gemma5678 has nailed it with her post.
Vaginal estrogen is just that- it's localised treatment for specific uro-genital issues.

It's not a 'whole body' treatment which is what most women mean when they say 'they're on HRT'.

Using vaginal estrogen twice week for a year is the same amount of estrogen as using systemic HRT for 1 day!

This is why the leaflet in the packaging will eventually change.

HRT is good if your symptoms are moderate to severe and not manageable. It's also good if you weigh in your options with your doctor.