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[fiorinda]

I'd hoped to get by without it, but I'm so fed up! So I went to my GP this morning - the same one who gave me a fruit cake recipe last time I talked to her about it, along with a list of foods to include that contain phytoestrogens. She has a special interest in Womens' health, and is probably menopausal or post herself.
I've been getting hot flushes on and off for a couple of years. I last had periods in April and May this year, none for 6 months before that, 2 before that, 6 months without before etc. The flushes just started coming back after a longish absence. I ache all over. I feel like I need to pee all the time, a similar discomfort to having cystitis but without the pain, and also unlike cystitis, I do actually need to pee all the time. I'm getting up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, then again early morning, and often not getting back to sleep. This morning I got up at 5.30, cos I'd been awake since 5 and my alarm was due to go off at 6.15. I'm experiencing vaginal dryness too and my libido is really low. And my memory is appalling!
I did some reading and some thinking and weighing up the pros and cons and the risk factors (my sister has had breast cancer 3 times) and decided I would give HRT a try.
I managed to get an appointment for first thing this morning with the doc I wanted to see. She was lovely, spelled out all the options and let me choose which one I wanted to go with. She described it as an early menopause for me (I'm 48), said that at my age she calls it Hormone Top-up Therapy, not replacement, and that nature had 'diddled me' out of several years of hormones. She's fab!
So I now have a 3 month pack of Prempak-C, the lower dose. I've bitten the bullet and taken the first one. I'm really interested to see how they work for me.

[CLKD]

   for the up-date. It's called 'replacement' for a reason 

Did she give you treatment for your vaginal dryness?  Have a look-see at SuziQ's thread on VA.  You can use preprations along side other forms of HRT.

   your GP

[fiorinda]

She didn't give me anything else at all, but she did get me to make an appointment with the nurse for full blood works, thyroid function etc and urine test for diabetes, when I said I had been trying to lose weight but just couldn't. I got the impression she was saying the HRT would help with the dryness. If it doesn't, maybe I'll go back for something extra. It's not a massive problem, I find it more irksome in day to day life to be honest, than during sex.
I'm trying not to let myself get carried away thinking these are going to be the magic pills that make me feel wonderful!!

[Hurdity]

Hope it goes well for you fiorinda and you begin to feel the benefits.
When I started HRT - probably at the same stage as you re periods although I was a few years older, I didn't use vaginal oestrogen either - and it did seem to work initially.  Eventually though I did need a vaginal preparation too and as CLKD says - you might need to as well, possibly sooner - as we are a different!

Hurdity x

[Greyhoundgal]

Sounds as if you have a great GP - love the term "top up therapy" 

[fiorinda]

I'm sure it's totally psychological, as I only started taking them  yesterday, but I feel better already! Who cares if it's medical or psychological at this point?! I feel I have more energy today, am less achey, and the uncomfortable feeling in my urethra has gone - still peeing like a horse every half hour though!

[Smokey]

Hi florinda

Hope it all goes well with your HRT, I wasn't given anything for down below either and the HRT seemed to sort that out,although that wasn't really a priority back then I was just glad to start feeling better! What I can say is my libido is much better since starting it!

[fiorinda]

That's good to hear, Smokey. It's a particular concern. I'm engaged, we've only been together 2.5 years, and he's only 24!! I adore him, but my libido has definitely dipped a lot recently. He does understand it's not him, but something beyond my control, but still, it's a nuisance!!

[fiorinda]

Only 6 days so far, but I'm feeling better than I have in ages... I'm kind of waiting for the bads to kick in?

I'm less achy, the uncomfortable feeling in my urethra has gone, I can walk to work (40 mins) and not be bustin for the loo when I get there, I'm getting up less often in the night to pee, my libido seems to be returning (yay!!). Still getting hot flushes (they had just started to return, quite mild ones and not too frequent). No less forgetful or flaky yet. But everything in 6 days is too much to ask!!

So far, so good!

[Annitxu]

Great that you're feeling fab but please consider using one of the (plant-derived) hrt products instead of Prempak which is produced from pregnant mares' urine. The North American "factory farms" which produce this are totally barbaric- a google search will give you the full ghastly story. I think GPs automatically prescribe it because its cheap but us meno ladies should insist  on one of the alternatives (which are arguably safer anyway-but that's another issue!) Best wishes for a flush-free future!!

[fiorinda]

I hadn't realised that the one I have was one of the horse urine ones (yuck!), and so I will consider asking for a different type at some point, Annitxu, but not yet. I got 3 months worth, and certainly can't afford to bin them and pay again. Also, I'm a bit wary - I don't seem to be having any problems with this prescription, and there do seem to be a lot of problems it's possible to have, so I don't want to change too soon. I've just started taking the little tablets (can't ever remember which is which!!) alongside the larger ones today, so I'm interested to see if I notice any more improvements or differences.

The flushes are almost gone. My libido is defintely improved. I have even started being able to sleep through the night without having to get up to go to the loo in the early hours! I feel so much better.