Timely advice on starting HRT please!

[DancingDangerously]

TIA for anyone who answers as I've left this 'til very last minute.

Appointment tomorrow to discuss recent bloods showing I'm well into hormonal disruption/depletion. Am hoping I will be offered HRT as topic has come up previously.

What should I be asking for?

Quick overview of health:

Insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes but good weight (only just!), taking Metformin. Not extremely fit but do go for walks a few times a week and am active/up and about. Need to get back to the gym!

Periods still regular with skipping the odd month or two, recently spotting for up to 3 weeks after period

Copper coil with a few years to go

Lots of perimenopausal upheaval - stress, anxiety, insomnia, losing hair, weight gain

My main priorities:

Don't want to take antidepressants

Bioidentical

Wouldn't mind something for sexual wellbeing - all good atm, healthy sex life, but definitely want to avoid atrophy and so on. Don't know

Possibly estrogen cream for face. Will they prescribe that if I ask?

Do I need to get thyroid checked?

Thanks for your advice, any help much appreciated! 💐

Correction: 2 weeks spotting.

Sigh. I'm being too hasty! Forgot to finish a sentence.

On vaginal issues: don't know if it's best to wait until you notice changes like drying up a bit or whatever, or start treating before issues come up. I would like to maintain a healthy sex life/libido

Related to that: what do I need to know regarding testosterone.

Again, TIA!

Possibly estrogen cream for face. Will they prescribe that if I ask?

Is that a typo?

The rest of your thread...

Just ask for HRT. Say you want to try it.

shouldn't be hard. Say you're read the pros and cons and would like a 3 month trial.

It might not be the right term and I don't think it's officially a thing, but apparently some women use an estrogen cream to keep the skin on their face good. Might be more of a US thing which is obviously very different to here.

Thanks for answering.💐

I was just of the impression that it can be confusing with lots of varying regimens or difficult to pin down what to take/what combos but if it's pretty straightforward then that's all good!

You can't get estrogen here for your face.

Thanks! That's the least of my concerns to be honest so I don't even know why I mentioned it. Must've been a moment of vanity!

Appreciate your answers, you always give very good advice on the board and I've read up a lot but the more I read the less I know as very much suffering with brain fog etc.

No atrophy or dryness here and NO HRT!

That's great for you but I'm not willing to wait and see what my body does or doesn't do well as I get older. I want my body to be strong, fit and healthy into my old age and also avoid UTIs and so on - I'm going to do whatever I can to safeguard my wellbeing.