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[Andrea jones]

Hello ladies.  I will be 49 next month.my periods stopped when I was 43 . I immediately gained over 1 1/2 stone in weight and within the year started hot flushes which got worse - terrible night sweats, feeling dizzy and just generally out of sorts.i had to ask doc for hormone levels to be checked.he said I was peri , by now I hadn't had a period for a year. 6 months later I asked for HRT. I was met with doom and gloom from the practice nurse who had suffered breast cancer. I was feeling so rotten I insisted I had HRT.i took it for nearly two years and felt 25again, my husband couldn't believe the change in me.doc insisted I come off it.HRT prempac c had given me back my periods and as soon as I stopped taking them my periods stopped again and I haven't seen one since.past few months I seem to be living at the doctors, flushes but no night sweats, racing heart, pain everywhere-back, hip, chest, feeling of lump in throat with pain running under my chin down my neck, feel off balance, headaches, you name I've got it oh and I forgot depression!! I'm thinking off asking for HRT again, any thoughts? Sorry so long winded.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Andrea and welcome to MM - You are in the right place for help and advice. 
You had a premature menopause so should have been taking HRT till at least 50 to protect your heart and bones.  I would almost describe your doctor's insistence on coming off HRT in your mid 40s as negligent!!! You are having very nasty meno symptoms!! The scares about breast cancer only really apply once you get to 60 (but many women take it well into their 80s) or if you have a family history of breast cancer.  The new recommendations regarding HRT from the the Royal College of Gynaecologists is somewhere on this site - you should show this to your GP!!!!
REad up all the info under the headings to the left of this screen.  I'd print off any relevant info to show your doctor.  At 49 I would definitely go back on HRT - you will now have the choice of sequi or continuous HRT as you are post menopausal.  I would ask to be referred to a menopause clinic or a gynae as your GP practise seems to be in the dark ages.
We get very cross about GPs who are not up to date and let women struggle on
unnecessarily.Hopefully others will be along with advice. DG x

[Taz2]

Hi Andrea - welcome to the forum from me too!

I agree with all Dancinggirl has said. Taking HRT before the age of 50 doesn't count as regards time on HRT because you are merely replacing what your body should have been making naturally. You need to go back to your GP with all of your new found knowledge from this site and ask to be prescribed it again. Is there a different GP within your practice you can see?

Taz x 

[CLKD]

   I will add - have you read the menus, left of screen?

Browse round, you can then go 'armed' with more information.  Make a double appt. if necessary and tell the GP "I've been looking at the MM Site and have gleaned this info., new to me and perhaps we could talk through what I've read?  I think my body needs …….. "

Let us know how you get on!

[Hurdity]

Hi Andrea

Just to say

  from me too

and I agree with the excellent advice already given below!

Go and get some HRT if you can!

Hurdity x

[Andrea jones]

Thank you ladies.a relief-someone understands!!! I shall be ringing my surgery first thing in the morning.i think a referral would be best as they seem to have no idea of my struggle.how long will that take!!!!!? At least I have some comfort of being on the right track. This is a fantastic site for anyone thinking of joining.

[lubylou]

This is what is said on the RCOG website which dancinggirl refers to (it is in the does HRT just prolong the inevitable thread:-
Lubylou

RCOG and the hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

* RCOG UPDATE (11 June 2013): The British Menopause Society (BMS) and Women's Health Concern recently published a literature review of the evidence on the use and effects of HRT.

In summary, their key recommendations are:

The decision whether to use HRT should be made by each woman having been given sufficient information by her healthcare professional, including information about complementary therapies and lifestyle and dietary changes.
HRT dosage, regimen and duration should be individualised, with an annual evaluation of the pros and cons.
Arbitrary limits should not be placed on the duration of usage of HRT; if symptoms persist, the benefits of hormone therapy usually outweigh the risks.
HRT prescribed before the age of 60 has a favourable benefit/risk profile.
It is imperative that women with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) are encouraged to use HRT at least until the average age of the menopause.
If HRT is to be used in women over 60 years of age, lower doses should be started, preferably with a transdermal route of administration.
Research and development of new compounds should continue to maximise benefits and minimise side effects and risks.

[Andrea jones]

Hi lubylou.i had a good look at that web site over the weekend.i do appreciate your post.thanks. I could weep -dramatic I know, but I'm allowed!!!! I feel fed up by the fact I could've been 'normal' these past 2years. There was no discussion about me coming off HRT , in fact I dodged her for a year and she was cross when she pinned me down.....made an appointment for next week...I shall keep you posted.thanks again x

[Suzyq]

Omg Andrea, I feel so angry at your doctor - it is your decision not hers. Given her attitude it seems unlikely she's going to give you anything. Do you have a back-up plan? Can you change to a different surgery??

I wish you luck x

[Andrea jones]

Ahh I love a bit of sympathy!!! that particular doctor has left. We have a new doc and apparently she's very nice. How clued up she is on the menopause I will find out next Wednesday. I think the practise nurse has left as well... So, perhaps they've moved into the 21st century. Fingers crossed. I'm thinking of asking for a referral to a gynaecologist that specialises because they don't seem to know what to do with me because my periods just stopped. Thank you for your message.  Xx

[mandy43]

Can I just ask the ladies who know about HRT, what reason doctors would have for wanting to take ladies off HRT if they have gone into the change early, if in fact it cannot cause you any harm.  It seems alot of doctors are like this and I wonder what the reason is?  I am going through an early change and haven't decided yet whether to go on HRT, but would be concerned if my doc advised against it.  Your thoughts would be appreciated ladies.

[dunkilla]

Hello,
I got to age 48 way faster than expected lol.  But here I am hoping to find information on HRT, weight management and muscle building.   I was happy to find this site. 
My story is probably familiar to you.  Hourly temperature changes, unable to build muscle, and eventually not even able to exercise because of hot flashes.  I was ready to give up as my doctor simply said it was the stage of life and to manage it.  Luckily my pharmacist recommended a private doctor who on the first visit prescribed low dose HRT to start.  That was yesterday and I'm so excited.  Am I being too optimistic to assume that I will be done with hot flashes and I can go back to the gym.. I hope to hear other ladies' success stories and how you are managing.

[Hurdity]

mandy43  - if you are having an early menopause - especially if it is a premature one, it is advised to take HRT to protect heart and bones. The dcotors who take women off HRT are not up to date with current thinking, if there is no medical reason for them not to be on it. If you look at the information on this site you will see that the benefits of HRT exceed the risks under 50 and between 50 and 60 if you are still having symptoms. Between 60 and 70 the benefits are thought to equal the risks.
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/balance.php

dunkilla 
Depending on the type and dose of HRT you are taking you should begin to feel the benefits very soon. Sometimes it takes a while to settle and some women have to try several types before finding one that suits them, but yes, for many of women hot flushes are banished through taking HRT. Always best to start lower dose and build up if necessary. Hope it works for you!

Hurdity x

[Andrea jones]

Hello mandy. My periods just stopped when I was 43 within 3 months I was dreadful I had convinced myself I had a brain tumour. I went to docs and was told to change my diet....I was previously just nine stone and going to the gym four times a week.however, I had put on one and a half stone.he wanted me to go on a soya/lentil diet. I suffered another 15 months and I went back to see lady doc she was useless.she said I seemed angry and although wasn't happy to give me HRT I insisted.i
She gave me prempac c lowest dose and said I could only have it for a year.witin a month I felt better than I had in years! This HRT gave me back my periods and I'm not convinced that was the correct thing for but as the doc was useless and the practise nurse...I didn't argue because I felt so bloody great!!!! I dodged doc, but went to nurse for my HRT checks, for two years. She caught up with me and took it it me.no discussion just wouldn't give me a repeat prescription. I also lost 17lb while on HRT. I've been off it over a year now and the last six months have been horrendous.my balance is awful, I've put a stone on, ten hours sleep is never enough, work is so hard because I can't retain, or think clearly, I constantly feel like I'm coming down with the flu, I've got a lump in my throat when I'm stressed, which is every day, I get goosebumps cold then boiling hot, terrible dry mouth, I could go on and on. I'm going to different doc on Wednesday...and after reading the fab advice on this site I really should be taking continuous HRT.   For me HRT was definitely the right thing and I don't think there was any need for me to come off it. Hope this helps a little.xxx

[mandy43]

Thanks for the info Andrea.  My experience is very similar to yours, as mine just stopped and when I should have started my periods the hot flushes and night sweats began and I also had symptoms like I was pregnant; sore swollen breasts, peeing all the time, felt sick etc...  I have also gone back to having migraines after years without them.  My periods have returned though and the symptoms now are not as full on.  However, they do come and go, so my body never knows where it is at.  I have no idea if I will get another period, I do hope so, as I don't feel ready to finish just yet.  I suffer from really bad health anxiety, which is especially bad now due to the meno symptoms.  So, I already worry all the time about breast cancer, so taking HRT, I feel, would just make me worry even more.  Not meaning to sound flippant, as the constant fear is a dreadful thing, but I am constantly worrying I am dieing of something, so I just couldn't handle adding to that worry, if that makes sense.