HRT for peri - now what?!

[MoiraRoseIsMyQueen]

I’ve just turned 40, and after having my little one at 37 I never felt like I went back to any kind of ‘normal’. List of potential peri symptoms as long as my arm, and my Dr suggested a 3-month trial of HRT. Well, it’s been life-changing, I can’t believe I put up with feeling so awful for so long. The biggest change has been the bone-crushing exhaustion has disappeared - my husband says I’m like a different person.

Anyway, my question is - now what?! Do I just stay on HRT forever more? I’ve moved and changed GP, so I’m a little nervous about going for a review in case they try to take me off it. But can I just stay on it?

Can I ask what your symptoms were? I asked my GP to consider I might be in perimenopause at 37 and was sent away without any further investigation. The symptoms I have are now at an almost unbearable level, and I’m almost 42. Might try again!

The main ones were exhaustion, it was debilitating. Couldn’t be bothered to do anything as I was so tired, and felt very ‘grey’ a lot of the time. I also had absolutely zero sex drive, horrible anxiety, mood swings around my period, and very long and light periods. I’d also started to get hormonal migraines again. I’m incredibly lucky that my work offers appointments with a menopause specialist nurse, and so I went to the GP armed with what we’d discussed. But I do think it’s a lottery, some GPs are fine with prescribing and others won’t. I think there’s been a real shift over the last few years in how they manage peri, so you might well find GPs much more willing to prescribe.

Definitely try again, get them to really drill down on risks and benefits - why won’t they prescribe, how do they expect you to manage symptoms otherwise (I was already focussing on diet, exercise, etc). I basically said ‘I’d like to try HRT’ and they agreed 😁 did some bloods to rule out anything more sinister, and sent me off with my prescription.

Thank you OP, I think I’ll go back again. I’m exhausted but don’t sleep brilliantly, dry eyes and mouth, diet and exercise addressed long term and still can’t lose any weight, hormonal acne (that one is upsetting the week before my period!), my mood goes off the edge of a cliff, I feel rage. That’s just a few of the things I’m experiencing.

I only had a couple of peri symptoms but those alone made me call the gp.She prescribed me elleste duo tablets and I've been on them nearly a year.Feel 100% normal since taking them.

Oh, the dry eyes! Such a weirdly unpleasant symptom! You should absolutely go back, you sound like you’re really going through it. If your GP doesn’t listen, go and see another one. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you find you get a much more sympathetic ear than you did 5 years ago - fingers crossed for you!

Do you mind me asking how old you are? And do you just plan to stay on them until you’re through the menopause? I’m on oestrogen patches and progesterone tablets, interested in how you’re finding the tablets?