Has anyone NOT been on HRT? Has the menopause been ok if so?

[ForeverDelayedEpiphany]

I'm 44, and think my body has been in perimenopause since my youngest daughter was born in 2020.

Literally textbook symptoms, itchy ears, hot flushes, weird tingling, itchy skin, horrible palpitations and awful waves of anxiety, much worse migraines, dry eyes, thinner hair... it's not been too good, but it's been bearable.

The thing is, I am extremely sensitive to medication side effects, especially ones that affect the endocrine system. I have a medication induced neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia that is like Tourette's and Parkinson's disease combined (and was caused by an off label antipsychotic). When I had to use some antifungal cream for thrush after breastfeeding once, it made my involuntary movements worse (as I think it is probably something that affects oestrogen and therefore dopamine receptors (.

Anyway, my rambling post is basically a way of saying I'm not sure about HRT but perimenopause symptoms aren't really great and seem to be getting worse.

Has anyone been through the menopause but not taken HRT? If so, how are you doing? Has it been ok?

Try a private doc and see if you can trial HRT in bioidentical cream versions - ie all of the hormones via the skin and in as close a format to what your own body produces . If you look up dr Louise Newson on Instagram you will find some posts by her which are very helpful. She had a post I saw which explained this type of delivery has fewer poor side effects.

I used to have migraines. Possibly oestrogen linked.

I haven’t had any since I started HRT and HRT has been amazing for me.

I see Dr Jones at The Hormone Clinic. Highly recommend her.

Same here
A year or so of hot flushes ( minor, not dripping wet ) I didn’t notice anything else
Thinning hair for a while but changed my diet and supplemented

no hrt. Didn’t need it

I’d forgotten about that magnet worn under clothes. I had an incident with it where I got stuck against a supermarket shopping trolley!

I didn’t need HRT tablets at all, as my hot flushes were very mild and I had no other symptoms. However, post menopause I started getting regular UTIs and thrush type symptoms. I was prescribed Estriol cream which is a very low dose of oestrogen and has worked brilliantly.

I’m 51 & my periods stopped a couple of years ago. I’ve had a few hot flushes but nothing else.

50, no periods for at least 2 years, no HRT

I just didn’t get round to seeing a GP to ask for it. I was probably in perimenopause in Covid times as that’s when my periods got irregular and by the time there was any chance of seeing a GP it felt too late as hot flushes had stopped. I don’t feel I’ve hugely missed out.

I can’t really drink alcohol now as it does make me have hot flushes. Not a huge hardship to cut it out.
I was already lifting weights and eating a high protein diet which I think probably helps mitigate
I’ve just ordered some topical oestrogen as I do think that area needs some assistance but otherwise I don’t feel I need systemic hormones.
I do have some achy joints especially my hands and I don’t have as much energy as I used to that’s for sure. I think I am probably more irritable and weepy too but none of it is unbearable and there are some upsides

I love not having periods. It feels like a huge burden lifted.
I like not having to shave legs, armpits etc very much
My skin and hair are no longer greasy and I don’t get spots now. I have switched up my skincare regime and now use retinol and hyaluronic acid and a heavier night cream

All in all I don’t feel like menopause was a terrible disaster for me. It’s a change, it’s different but life moves on and I can’t be who I was 5 or 10 years ago. Lots of things are different with my kids having grown up and career changes etc. I don’t feel the need to try to put things back how they were.

My mum died young of breast cancer after being on HRT. The GP (when I eventually did see one) told me that I would still be OK to have HRT and that it’s not contradicted with family history of breast cancer but it was a factor against me considering it. I know my mum always thought it was connected in her case and she always wondered did taking HRT cause or speed up the cancer (it was a hormone responsive one). I know that logically it probably would have happened anyway but it is hard to take it with that doubt in your mind. I would have had to be a lot worse off than I am to have taken it.

I am 64 I expect I have been through the menopause.

did I have hot flushes 9 years ago ? only ever at home in the living room
or is it this house as never had them since until this summer and we moved 9 years ago in the summer

so I am now putting it down to the house and not the menopause.

It's so nice to see that for once, we've been able to have a thread on this topic that hasn't (yet) been hijacked by very defensive women on HRT or spamming by the resident self-appointed 'expert'.

I am just so happy and relieved that my periods stopped after 20 years of dysfunction, including flooding and a crushing migraine every month, that I am determined to leave my hormones the hell alone if I possibly can. I feel a lot better at 53 and post-meno than I did in late peri.

I will say that I take the increased risks of osteoporosis and heart disease very seriously and live pretty much a textbook lifestyle when it comes to diet, exercise and sleep. And I keep up with all the necessary checks to make sure it's working. It's a bit of an obsession and not for everyone!

@ForeverDelayedEpiphany- do you have a medical team who can help advise on this? Sounds like you need some specialist advice. Hope you can get some support in addition to hearing people’s experiences on here.

@SummerFeverVeniceand @MinnieMountain - sorry to hear you’ve had cancer. Have you heard of menopause and cancer ? - They offer some advice support about what can help if HRT isn’t an option.
https://menopauseandcancer.org/

@CrystalSingerFan
It was entirely my own doing. My GP kept asking me to make a healthcheck appointment but I didn't because of course I thought I was fine so didn't need one.
Then we moved house, 5 years later Covid happened and we thought we'd better register with a new GP "just in case", I finally went for my first annual health check and got a wake up call. Now I have every checkup and jab going😁
Just wanted to warn others not to be as daft as me.

I’m 50 and I have been in peri, looking back at it, for a decade but because my periods were still spot-on regular, I never thought it was that. Now most of the symptoms have gone and I am left with achy lower legs and occasional burning tongue. My periods are becoming more irregular but I am still having them. No HRT because I never sought it on account of having no idea it was all part of menopause. Too late now, I guess.

I never had HRT. It went fine, as well as can be expected I supoose. I cut out most sugar from my diet, including alcohol, increased my veg and bean intake, and exercised daily (long walk). The worst part was broken sleep and feeling too hot at night, but it passed.

It's probably a very individual process though.

I sailed through without HRT.

My mum says similar. Let's just say our recollections of her lack of symptoms differ 😂.

I haven't taken any HRT but I did not get any of the symptoms you describe.

My periods went from every 28 days to 1 every three months and then just nothing.

So yes it can be done, but I know you are suffering, so I'm probably not the best to ask.

Yes, me! Post-menopausal now and insomnia and low libido are the only things I notice. While I was perimenopausal I also had hot flushes, mood swings (sorry kids!!) and a grab bag of aches and pains that may or may not have been related. Taking oestrogen wasn’t an option for me, but the symptoms were quite tolerable without.

I’m 53 and have stopped taking HRT after four years, primarily because I started to worry about the breast cancer risk. I put on two stone + in that time and my boobs have become so dense (they were substantial to start with) that having a mammogram was a horrible struggle and I got concerned that I would miss a lump appearing. I’ve also had worsening sleep over the past eight months or so (waking up constantly in night) and heavy flash bleeds. I also felt murderous during the 12-day progesterone cycle - like the worst PMT x a million! I don’t know if I developed a sensitivity or had too much estrogen in my system but after talking to my GP I decided to come off it - and wish I’d done it earlier! Periods have fully stopped, I’m sleeping through the night again, I’m calmer, the weight is coming off and my libido is returning! (I must’ve been one of the few women who lost theirs on HRT!)

HRT definitely helped in the peri stage but I was clearly on it for longer than my body needed it and if I had that time again I might have tried getting through without it. I also think the “HRT for life” mantra that’s been widely adopted needs examining. My GP said five years tops is what she recommends.

I also think the “HRT for life” mantra that’s been widely adopted needs examining. My GP said five years tops is what she recommends.

Everyone's circumstances are different @SuperTrooper1111
There isn't a mantra of 'HRT for life'. Anything like that in the media is an exaggeration probably be celebs!

The guidance is to assess annually, take into account risks and benefits and individual need. Most specialists suggest taking a 3 month break and see how you feel without it.family history of heart disease, bone health, personal risks etc are taken into account.

Some women in their 60s and older use HRT for bone health because it's licensed for that.

BMS and NICE guidance is not to set any arbitrary time limit but assess each woman and her needs /risks.

I don't think any of the negative posts here about HRT are helpful and neither are ones about women who managed without .

You aren't those posters and they aren't you.@ForeverDelayedEpiphany

You're suffering at 44 and the only way to make this better is to see a specialist and get their advice.

You're very young so any risks of HRT don't apply anyway until over 50.

TBH your question is whether there is a type of HRT suitable for you because of your existing health conditions.

I am 18 months since my last period. I'm 54. No HRT and feel absolutely fine. A few mild sweats now and again. I am just delighted to have no periods as they were awful.

54, still having odd periods but have a Mirena fitted and am fairly convinced that's helping. No really troublesome symptoms - just the odd night sweat but I'm diabetic and have always had these so they don't bother me.

I didn’t have HRT

i did spin classes 3/4 times a week on purpose & swam

i can’t say whether it helped as I didn’t stop until 6 years afterwards, I then started weights instead of spin

still cycle now but not swim

i had a few hot flushes but nothing terrible

OP's question is very clear!

Has anyone been through the menopause but not taken HRT? If so, how are you doing? Has it been ok?

Not sure why you think those who have had negative experiences or have managed without shouldn't answer those straightforward questions or that OP shouldn't take on board our experiences.

HRT is not the be all and end all.

Edited to add, because I see you responded to me personally: you're right, everyone's experiences are different. That's what OP is asking to hear. Mine is just as valid as yours or anyone else's.

You don’t think that posts literally answering the question that the OP posed are helpful?? Maybe you should let her be the judge of that. She asked people to share their experiences of menopause without HRT especially positive ones so we did.

It really isn’t the case that ‘the only way’ OP can get help with managing her symptoms is to see ‘a specialist’ aka pay a private Dr who is making money out of making this a medication requiring issue. She could see her own NHS GP for a start. From the posts it seems as though a lot of women did manage their symptoms with changes to their diet and exercise but no apparently these responses are ‘unhelpful’

I dislike that this board that is entitled ‘menopause’ is really the HRT board and any perspective from anyone who didn’t use it always gets negative responses. I am not anti HRT. I considered using it myself although I decided against but I feel suspicious of any area in which there is a proliferation of private Drs looking to cash in and scaremongering about osteoporosis and heart attacks when weight bearing exercise and a healthy diet would also protect against those outcomes for free.

Also APS (I am assuming that your mean Antiphospholipid Syndrome). I'm 58 now. I haven't been on HRT and it has been fine for me. I had an endometrial ablation about 10 years ago so my periods stopped then. I'm assuming I am through menopause now.