If you are on NHS hrt how much of a hassle is it?

[CurdinHenry]

1. How often do you have to interact with your GP?

1. How difficult are they about flexing dose or type and adding in things like testosterone?

That's fine but the guidance is that HRT is for symptoms, OR for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis if a DEXA scan shows you're at risk and have lost bone. You won't get an NHS DEXA scan unless there are good reasons for it and most women only get one once they havea fracture.

You don't appear yet from your posts to have any risk factors of osteoporosis - eg periods stopping before the average age of 51.

I don't understand what you mean about funding your healthcare privately.
Prescriptions in Scotland are free.
Or are you seeing a consultant privately?

Been on it a few years now - had to ge referred to the meno specialist to get testosterone added. The GP wouldn't just prescribe. Now that's been done, the GP has taken over that prescription and they now issue all my HRT - that's Evorel Conti patches, testosterone and Vagifem pessaries. I have a yearly blood test to check testosterone levels and either a telephone or in person review with the pharmacist at the GP surgery, also annually.
No issues with being prescribed. I recently requested a blood test to check oestrogen levels snd GP was willing to do this even though they usually go in symptoms. My result show that maybe absorption isn't great, so I have a review this week to discuss optons. Oral progesterone didn't agree with me and GP was very happy to try something different, so generally I think they are as accommodating as is possible in the NHS.

Possibly if I went private, there might be more options.

I has initial appointment then 3 months prescription with a check up needed to renew. It was just a chat, weigh in and blood pressure check, nothing much at all. I have to have a check up annually in person and that's it

@Aiming4Optimistic Private HRT is the same sort of HRT as is available on the NHS. The main difference is you're paying for more time, medical expertise and experience, which might be a short cut to getting the right type and dose, as well as being able to discuss all the pros and cons in more detail.
There are a few options for a slight variations of dose (off licence) using the same sorts of HRT but no different products.

Thank you @JinglingSpringbells

I find any interaction with GPs soul destroying and I hate the fact that they'll have one over on me for the second half of my life is all.

I find any interaction with GPs soul destroying and I hate the fact that they'll have one over on me for the second half of my life is all.

Can you explain what's happened before?

Why are you assuming it may be difficult to get HRT from a GP?
I understand you want to 'get ahead' in terms of whether you need HRT yet (probably not from what you've said) but it's not clear why you have an issue with GPs.

I had an awful experience trying to get the initial prescription off my gp - her exact advice was I needed to meditate and that would make my symptoms go away.
i saw a private gp, got the prescription and since then my local gp writes it every month with no fuss, they even did me a review so all good. I imagine when I need to tweak dosage I’ll have to go back to the private provider

Do I need to?? I think it's a fairly common place thing in the UK.

The 8am desperate appointments lottery. The horrible receptionists demanding you "earn" your reason. The disembodied phone call appointment that could come at any time between 7 and 7. The expectation you disclose private details to that voice to win a place in the great healthcare rationing. It's awful and I dread it.

I can’t comment on testosterone, as (so far) I haven’t needed it. No issues for me - I see the prescribing nurses in my GP practice annually for a check up. I was on the patches but they kept sliding off, and had no problems getting the Mirena coil instead.

i must say in their defence my village GP practice are amazing

Is it an option for you to see someone privately, either now or later down the line? I know it shouldn't be necessary, but if you really struggle with GPs appts, it's one way to get round them. Quite a number of menopause consultants now offer online appts.

No hassle at all. Mirena coil and I get serval months worth of oestrogel prescribed at once. When I need some oestrogel, I take my blood pressure and message that to my GP along with my prescription request.

This focus on BP by GPs is laughable. Consultants don't ask for that. GPs seem to equate HRT with the Pill.

I totally get this, OP - also in Scotland. I hate the phone in general, and find calling for an appointment really difficult (same as if I needed to phone for a hair appointment or anything else) so the fastest-finger-first business is an added stress. My surgery does do some pre-bookable appointments which you call for at 2pm, but it’s a six week wait schedule-wise and you still have to “make a case” for why you should get one.

I know people always say, can you afford to pay privately, but not everyone can, and in an ideal world we shouldn’t have to. We actually did have private health-care through DP’s last job, but our NHS surgery wouldn’t engage with it at all (eg I saw a private doctor about a dodgy mole, but the dermatology referral he suggested had to go via the NHS GP, and they wouldn’t accept the private doctor’s letter so I still had to wait six weeks to see a GP!).

I had to have a bit of a fight to get HRT as I didn’t have night sweats - this from the flipping menopause expert at my GP practice. I finally got to see another doctor and was ready with guidance etc to fight…when he just suggested it!

Yes! I took an old box with me but she didn’t ask to see it, I dared the patches in the morning and collected early evening, think it was about 50 euro for 3 boxes

never see the GP, HRT is dealt with by our practice nurse
annual review, either by phone or in person. if over the phone I need to send them a blood pressure reading, then they do an annual prescription to the pharmacy and they issue it every 2 months (although when I had to put a repeat prescription request in myself they issued 3 months at a time!)
never had an issue adjusting dosage or changing type but haven't asked for testosterone

First GP appointment was over the phone; GP sent me information and said if I wanted to go ahead with HRT to have a BP check then make another appointment f2f. I check my BP at home and was called by the receptionist to provide another BP reading a year in. Otherwise no more appointments, no reviews so far just over a year in.

Started at 57 so a bit late but hoping to be on it for life or as long as health allows.

Once a year I get a call to ask for my blood pressure and weight. Take a photo send it back and I’m good to go again. Been like this for ten plus years