Do you really age dreadfully without HRT?

[Lia73]

I'm just about postmenopausal at 52, no period in a year. I've had a few hot flushes and a bit of trouble sleeping but other than that (and some dryness) feel OK. I take vitamins and am fairly active. We have menopause meetings at work and along with my Instagram feed, everyone seems to be on HRT. I keep hearing and reading that women on HRT look younger and age better than those not on it. I'm an older mum so want to look and feel as young as I can for as long as I can...now I obviously wouldn't go on HRT just for appearance sake. I do appreciate it's absolutely essential for some women too but I'd like to hear from those NOT taking it...are you doing just fine without it?

I’m 54. 3 years post meno. No HRT but do have vaginal oestrogen cream.
I feel great. Had some flushes for first year but none now. No aches. Hair is as thick as ever. I look after my skin and have never smoked. I have a healthy diet with lots of veg and fruit. Just recently cut most alcohol out as was drinking at weekends by default. Now just on occasion. BMI is around 23 . Yes I have lines but I look younger than acquaintances that are 50.

Do t think I’d want care home staff doing this.

I've never taken it (late 50s here) and I am ageing just fine.

Im over 60 and haven’t regretted taking it. Its not for everyone.

Unfortunately there is only 1 surgery in my area

Nah doesn’t make you look younger .
Anyone I know on HRT put on weight that might fill your face out a bit .
Exercise good diet lots of water .
Good fashion choices
Well cut / coloured hair
Skincare will help you look good
But looking younger ?
Why ?
Ageing is a privilege
Certainly wouldn’t consider HRTjust to look younger .

Mum was on it 10 years and still has arthritis Them she got breast cancer too

96% of dementia is lifestyle related so use your diet.

Is it @greengreyblue - I haven’t heard that

It's not a question that anyone can really answer @Lia73 because we can't do experiments on ourselves. You won't be able to compare using it or not in the short term.

Not using it can only show the impact years later.

A lot of women who say they are 'fine' won't know what their bone density is or their heart health. These are the long term side effects of loss of estrogen that can show 5, 10 or 20 years in the future.

I'm not saying anyone should or shouldn't use HRT, but there are short and long term changes and the long term ones don't appear for years.

It's not just that. It's also exercise, not smoking, keeping mentally active and being sociable. If it was just diet, medical advice and Alzheimer charities would be saying that.

The figure I heard from Dr Robert Lustig on Diary of a CEO . But it’s something being talked about a lot on Zoe for example. It’s largely a metabolic disease related to vascular health and diabetes. A diet that is good for your heart is good for your brain, as is keeping mentally and socially active.

I said lifestyle.

I'd say aging terribly is more down to genetics (luck of the draw), smoking, over exposure to sun, alcohol, poor skin and hair care, lack of exercise, poor diet.
HRT is not an aesthetic treatment.

You said' lifestyle and use your diet'.

I agree! But there is still a big question why women are diagnosed more than men. Maybe it's because they live longer - but not much longer- life expectancy difference is a couple of years.

This is what I’ve just started, I wasn’t even really experiencing too much dryness just scared myself reading about thinning, tearing skin and disappearing clit/labia and panicked! Am hoping the estriol will be preventative 🙏🏼

I’m 46 and not really having too many other sx and periods are v regular so not sure I’m ready for systemic HRT but won’t rule it out and yes others say it’s best to get ahead of the sx rather than just being reactive to them.

Lifestyle is diet, exercise, alcohol and smoking choices and how you live generally. Use the diet to support your health( eat well, reduce or avoid alcohol and smoking) . Not sure why you’re picking this apart as you seem to be on the same page.

I meant to quote this .Soryy @CharlotteLightandDark

This is incorrect.

It is thought (there are no absolutes) that up to 45% of cases are precipitated by "modifiable" risk factors and that if these risk factors were addressed up to 45% of cases could be prevented or delayed. Not all modifiable risk factors are within an individual's control. Some (air pollution, quality of early education) are matters of public policy, others (head injury, hearing loss, depression) are part of broader health provision and a few (alcohol use, smoking, obesity) are modifiable at individual level.

It's lovely to think that all one need do to avoid dementia is eat lots of salad and go easy on the chips. Sadly it's not the case. Dementia facilities are full of people who spent their lives being active and eating well, right up to the point where the plaques/tangles in their brains prevented them from continuing to do so.

@greengreyblue I
I agree 100% that lifestyle including diet are important- very important. But this is not yet proven as protecting people 100% from dementia. It's more complicated. Some types can be linked to genes, others to similar diseases (like Parkinson's) where lifestyle won't help so much.

That’s why I said 95%.

I appreciate that but I've never ever seen that anywhere online.

I've studied and read a lot about it as it's impacted on my family.

It's not something I want to get into an argument about but Alzheimer's Research UK puts modifiable factors at 45% of cases.

Utrogestan 100mg capsules and Estradiol 0.06% transdermal gel. I saw Rheumatologist recently about autoimmune condition and he suggested I might want to increase my hrt dose as it might help with autoimmune symptoms. i am currently on lowest dose. Not sure if I will.

You might find this which I shared before interesting pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9397736/

I don't expect my osteoarthritis to disappear and I don't expect it to fully prevent it developing but I guess I am hoping it might.

Are you suggesting your mother's breast cancer was related to hrt?

I take HRT because of a family history of osteoporosis (I have Osteopenia) and Parkinson's and a small hope it might help with osteoarthritis. Rheumatologist recently suggested I might want to increase my hrt to address symptoms.

I don't think HRT is necessary for everyone. I think the choice should be yours and yours alone. I read some amazing stories of the transformative impacts of HRT but I have never experienced that. I probably look younger but am sure that is genetics not hrt or lifestyle. My mother didn't go grey until her 80s and I seem to have her gene for that. She wasn't very wrinkly and neither am I.

I have no idea if it was related to the hrt she took. She had the hormone fed one though. I made the decision to see how I went as her cancer puts me at a raised risk automatically and I’ve e been fine apart from some dynes so I use estriol cream twice a week. I am very much into eating really well and keeping active, drinking no or low amounts of alcohol and it’s serving me well at the moment.