What age did you start HRT and what symptom was your primary driver for starting?

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The title says it all really:

What age did you start HRT and what symptom was your primary driver for starting?

I think I was about 55. I worked in a hospital pharmacy, and the brain fog was ridiculous. Not a good idea when you're dispensing medicines.

46, hot flushes

I was 40 but had been in perimenopause for three years before that but GP said I was too young. The anxiety and heart palpitations were the worst. Then then sweats. And my adhd went through the roof. It was a very dark time.

45, had physical symptoms but it was the terrible mood swings including pure rage and crying all the time which prompted me to get help.

I started on HRT at 48, however it didn't agree with me, had all the symptoms, joint aches, insomnia, flooding, tears, anger, nigh sweats, hot flushes...... Came off it after 6 months, I am now 57 and feel a bit better. Still get the odd symptom but manageable.

52, menopause symptoms were getting too much.

50, still regular periods but very heavy. No symptoms that were obviously peri related but lots which could have been:
Joint pain
Night waking
That skin crawling feeling
Restless legs
Sense of doom
Couldn't find words
Vaginal dryness
Weight gain

I started on the standard 2 pump gel and progesterone for 12 days and nearly everything improved. I don't feel any progesterone effect at all.

33 - surgical menopause

Late 40s, I was having terrible anxiety and really bad depression and the only thing that stopped those was HRT.

Are you in the uk? How can they just not prescribe HRT? It’s advocated by NICE. BMS etc?

54 for joint pain and feeling a bit fed up (probably because the joint pain made me feel about 80 and I'd developed a limp from it ffs which severly affected my love of walking).
Within the first week of starting the joint pain went and has never come back 🙂

Mastalgia (breast pain) 3 out of 4 weeks, dreadful night sweats, anxiety, slow digestion, flooding periods.

Went on at 40 and very happy at 46 to have none of those things plus I take it back to back so no periods.

Of course they do. Go back with the NICE guidelines and tell them you want it!

(unless you are abroad where some doctors don't prescribe it).

46
Main reason was I kept getting the rage, was worried I’d get fired/ get myself in trouble telling someone to feck off
But more importantly the dark cloud has lifted and I no longer think I wouldn’t much care if I died. That has been life changing.

44 !
Serious anxiety out of nowhere !
Joint pain which actually turned out to be psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyarthris!
Peeing myself !
No sleep
Hot flushes
And I really lost my motivation to do anything smack bang in the middle of COVID ! It was awful 😞

44. Due to anxiety,hot flushes and feeling flat and hopeless

I started age 43. My symptoms were drenching night sweats, low mood and irregular periods. My night sweats stopped within a few days of starting HRT and the other symptoms resolved within a month or so.

@VivIsBlondewhat? That’s like saying your surgery doesn’t prescribe medicines for an underactive thyroid or diabetes or pain. They can’t just exclude one health condition and say they aren’t prescribing medicines for it. Completely ridiculous. Are you in the UK?

50, joint pain, anxiety and bad skin.

49 surgical menopause.

About to start at 50. Just had enough of feeling angry, sad, like no one would give a shit if I wasn’t here, brain fog, waking at 3am, mood swings, heavy periods, sweats.. just not feeling like myself anymore and genuinely scared of some of the decisions I almost make

I was 50 and it was the hot flushes/night sweats and resulting lack of sleep that pushed me over the edge. Mind you I had been asking sporadically since I was 43 (!!) and getting nowhere with GP's, it took me ringing for an emergency appointment at the absolute end of my tether one day for a receptionist to take pity on me and inform me that my surgery has a menopause specialist doctor (who knew?!) and booking me in with her for me to get anywhere. So that's my top tip, always ask if there's a menopause specialist doctor, nurse or advanced practitioner you can see, the difference between them and a normal GP is night and day.

About 54 for insomnia and restless legs. Stopperafter a few years as symptoms were ok the went back on again last year as I thought it would help with hip and shoulder joint problems- these are much better - unsure whether that's HRT, cortisone shots or physio - poss a combo

I was about 52. Dreadful anxiety for the first time in my life, awful feelings of impending doom, joint pain and strangely cold flushes which later turned to hot flushes. I’ve never slept particularly well so no difference there but most of the other symptoms are under control on HRT. I did have a blip recently and started to feel a bit off again so increased my dose of gel and progesterone with the advice of the nurse practitioner at my surgery.

47 ish