Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Taz2]

It's very confusing when even the advice between menopause specialists varies so much.

Re the contraceptive pill. It's not so much the amounts of hormone but the length of time our bodies are exposed to oestrogen which causes the problem or so I understand. If you begin your periods early, for instance, and reach menopause late then you are more at risk of oestrogen-related cancers and using HRT after menopause extends this time. It should be our choice of course.

My mum had a fairly bad menopause and tried to talk to me about the way she was feeling but, to be honest, at the age of 17 I didn't really see it as relevant and just thought she was making a fuss. I am not sure that I would have been open to any advice before I got to meno - much like most of the younger women I work with. They don't want to know - it wont happen to them of course. 

Taz x

[Limpy]

Re the contraceptive pill. It's not so much the amounts of hormone but the length of time our bodies are exposed to oestrogen which causes the problem or so I understand.

It's so difficult to know. When I was coming off the pill the doctors kept on saying the amount of hormone in HRT was significantly lower than that in the pill.........

[JJ]

Everyone who knows me knows I'm finding the menopause hellish and I'm glad to share, don't see why I should keep quiet about it, sometimes I find it really irritating if I'm with older ladies who have been through a difficult menopause but they are not prepared to discuss it in any detail, why not for goodness sake !

[honeybun]

I have had that toe curling moment. Having a hot flush and wafting things around and announcing to a room full of women older than me that I wished the HRT would start working.
It was met with a stony silence and at that point I realised that not one person was going to admit to having had any problems.

I think that as some women are very coy about what age they are an admission of meno, so therefore past child bearing age, is seen to be getting old.

It's a load of b#####cks. What's wrong with some people. I also have a friend who is a couple of years younger than me that whenever I mention meno finds an excuse to either leave or change the subject.
It's very isolating when other women behave like this.

Honeyb
x

[Joyce]

I had flush when meeting couple of friends recently. One has sailed through, other had awful time. I just sat there fanning my face. They understood, but not many do.

Had flush whilst swimming today, was expecting water to bubble. My own personal jacuzzi.  Hoping those around me just thought I was swimming hard, I wasn't but I can dream can't I.

We are the generation to get it out there.  We should fight for our rights! Although I do feel slightly hypocritical, as I'm trying to wean myself off HRT, but that's because doctors won't let us have it after we're 60. If they are lacking in studies of the over 60s on HRT, how the heck will they ever discover what happens.

[CLKD]

Why justify yourself by telling people that you are taking any medication at all  ………….. if one has a hot flush then a shrug, a waft of the nearest newspaper and say to others 'you wait, it'll be you next and your partners and your daughters' ………..

We didn't talk about The Pill in the 1960s, it was almost taboo …………

[Bo Snow]

I'm heading back to work tomorrow having been off sick for a few days due to feeling so dreadful with meno symptoms, seeing my gp and deciding HRT was the thing for me. Sadly I don't expect anyone to understand or sympathise. They'll make the right noises etc etc but as i'm the oldest female there noone would have experienced a work colleague going through something so natural yet so debilitating. It would be nice to think I could educate people but I doubt that's gonna happen...but one thing I do know - if I feel truly crap in the future I will not be plodding on thinking they can't manage if I take some time to sort myself out, regroup and return able to cope again.

[CLKD]

Good for you!  Let us know how you get on!  What will you tell your colleagues?

[Sarah2]

I think it is being talked about more and almost every month there is a feature in women's mags/ Daily Mail about the menopause, so journalists and editors are trying!

One problem is that most GPs ( not all) are not well informed- as we can see from the posts here.
Unless GPs have an interest in menopause then they cannot / will not keep up with all the research, though that is a pitiful excuse because they only need to spend 30 minutes on the BMS website.

I think the scares of the MW and WHI studies from 10 years back have created a climate of fear, as well as some women ( through ignorance) thinking that taking HRT is a 'vanity' drug - taken only to prevent wrinkles!- and not something women take for other valid reasons.

There are many good consultants who will give HRT after the age of 60- but unfortunately this message is not getting through to GPs despite the BMS running training days for them!

If they only read the research available they would see that it's synthetic progestogens given in high doses, or continuously , that appear to cause breast cancer. The use of oestrogen only HRT does not cause any significant rise in breast cancer and one study actually showed women on oestrogen only HRT had less cancer!

It's up to all women to do their research too and take the message out there!

[Taz2]

I agree Sarah. The risk most associated with HRT in the over 60's is stroke though not breast cancer.

I think we should all read this finding re oestrogen only HRT - maybe print it off and show it to our GP's if they bring up the breast cancer risk.  http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/news-report/oestrogen-only-hrt-after-hysterectomy-may-protect-against-breast-cancer

Taz x

[Trey]

Taz, I just read the study and noted at the bottom that it was Equine estrogen, so tabs, and my understanding is that patches are much less likely to cause strokes or clots because it is not metabolized in the liver  which has something to do with cholesterol.  I bet Hurdity knows about it, but I feel much safer on the patch.  Estrogen may cause clots in the retinal arteries so I will find out if that is what my 'spot' on my retina is.  My sister thinks she had similar and was told hers was cholesterol deposit.   

[Taz2]

Yes I should have mentioned that - sorry Trey!

Both my meno consultant and gynae say that if you are over 60 then patches still give cause for concern re the stroke and heart disease risk. I get in such a muddle over it all. There is also the info which states that starting HRT after the age of 60 puts you at more risk and I worry that the larger gap I have without it then it's like starting from scratch. Quality of life has to come into it!

Taz x

[Sarah2]

There is plenty of evidence ( papers) which show that transdermal routes are safe ( er) re. blood clots because they don't affect the lipid levels in the blood in the same way.

http://www.clotcare.com/hormonebirthcontrolpatchbloodclotrisk.aspx

This article shows no risk for transdermal routes
http://min.sagepub.com/content/19/2/59.short

see Routes and Regimes

Even the worst case scenario- as in the MW and WHI studies showed these figures ( and this was for equine oestrogens/ synthetic progestogens)

non-HRT users 1 stroke/clot per 10 000 women, HRT users 3:10 000.

Those figures are very small and the women in the studies were overweight ( most were obese) and unfit.

The problem in all of this is that nothing in life is risk free: 10 people every day in the UK die on the roads. On that basis none of us should get in a car if we really wanted to avoid 'risk'. But no, people use cars for convenience and quality of life.

My gynae actually said that getting in a car and travelling on the motorway is riskier than taking HRT.

Also, more women die from the complications of osteoporosis in old age than from breast cancer.

I'm afraid I think that too many drs are misogynists and patronising too!

There are risks to HRT but they are very small if the right kind of HRT is taken- and that ought to exclude tablets- which drs continue to dish out even though they are less safe and this has been known for ages and ages. Ditto equine oestrogens rather than bioidentical.

It's all about risks and benefits, alongside quality of life.




 

[libbyloo]

Advocating exercise.........I'm a real new newbie. I've joined Mm becus of the This Morning programme. I almost logged out becus I felt, I wasn't bad enough yet. Kind encouragement kept me logged in. I've been horrified at the great suffering of many ladies I had no idea how tough it can be for years. For now my only contribution can be supportive. Life is incredibly challenging without the change of life. Without excercise and good disciplined nutrition I'd never have coped the way I have. I will deal with this next phase the same. One lady said, it became bigger than her.  I knew I had to be in the best shape I could personally muster in readiness for this stage,  now here. And reading what I have tells me to cope with it, I personally need to be fit and well. If I read on here a hrt method that works, when I feel I need that. I will be taking it to my doctor. I'm compiling a list of all the brilliant tips I'm reading. I'm fascinated.

[libbyloo]

I was recently advised to take statins becus of high cholesterol. We all know hoo ha over those. Last thing I want in my body. The very last pill I wish to take each day. But my cholesterol is now under control. It killed my mum aged 53 (high chol). What your all saying regarding hrt is identical. The scare mongering of statins has spoilt my use of it. Fear fear fear..........