Is a quick HRT prescription without discussion normal in perimenopause?

[AndCallMeNancy]

Hoping for some help please.

I am 47, up until a month or so ago I was on the pill, which I believe has been acting like a mini HRT and giving me enough of an oestrogen boost. However I had been thinking for a while it was probably time to think about the real thing so yesterday I filled in an e-consult for my GP. They are generally really good at triaging these and responding so within a few hours I had a call back.

The person was very pleasant, introduced herself by first name, no job title. Asked me some questions about symptoms and periods etc. then basically said, you get your weight and blood pressure done at the pharmacy and let us know and I will order you a prescription. It was a combination of oral medication and a patch. Super quick and easy. Which I appreciate, but I’ve woke up this morning thinking that I had no time to ask questions, talk about different options. It was a one size fits all approach which will be reviewed in 3 months.

is this normal? I am worried about the fact that I am already struggling with weight gain and thinning hair and one reason I’ve put off HRT is the worry it might make these issues worse.
also I am taking Wegovy tablets on a private prescription and I did not get chance to share that info. It was over and done with before I knew it! I had expected to get a face to face appt with a GP who has a special interest in women’s health so there could be a proper discussion.

I am considering contacting the surgery again so I can ask for this, am I being OTT?

I get that a lot of this will be trial and error so shall I just go with this and see what happens?

Maybe I just crack on and be glad I got the meds easily.

Main symptoms are - hot flashes in the day, night sweats, fatigue, anxiousness, joints aching, brain fog.

Would appreciate anyone’s thoughts!

Thanks in advance.

Also periods have dwindled to not-a-lot. Since November/December last year I have had three light bleeds.

This is a tricky one.

On the one hand you got HRT without any hassle, which is unlike some women.
On the other, it didn't sound like a full consultation - but GPs only have 10 minutes per appt.

I guess you could find out who you spoke to on their website- it might have been a nurse or a GP.

The weight loss drugs are relevant because for some forms of HRT they can reduce the effectiveness. You're on a patch but you've also been given (presumably) micronised progesterone too, so there needs to be some discussion around that.

Ideally, you should have been asked what type of HRT estrogen you preferred- tablets, patches, gel, spray - and the other options for the progesterone side of it (tablets, patch, Mirena coil.)

Had you done any reading up yourself on these options beforehand?
If you do that now, you can think about what you prefer and you can also research the use of weight loss drugs with HRT.
You also need to consider if you're happy with a patch or if you'd prefer a different form of HRT.

If you feel your drs aren't any good, you can see a dr privately if you could afford it (there are loads around now doing menopause/HRT) - consultant gynaecologists and private GPs. You'd usually get 45 minutes to discuss everything in detail.

Or, make an appt to go back to the doctor who prescribed.

Have you don’t any research?
Going on HRT is like going on the pill, it’s a choice and you do need to try it to know if it suits you.

It was up to you to fill out the consultation form with relevant information. You need to educate yourself on the subject and don’t leave information out.

Thanks, this is helpful advice. .
I guess I filled in the e-consult as the first step, thinking the next step would be a chance to properly talk through different options with someone trained in this specialism, so I hadn’t done much/any research, but as a result of being whizzed through a flow chart with a random person yesterday I have now done some reading and started to get my head around things more.

I will go back to them as it’s clearly important for me to flag the Wegovy use at the very least. Thanks for highlighting that.

I am v slow at processing info especially when things are sprung on me hence me being so useless yesterday.