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[jille]

Hi all, I'm new to the site and have been using HRT pessaries for a little over 2 weeks now.  I have noticed the improvement since starting them but in the back of my mind I worry about all the bad press that goes with HRT (increased risk of breast cancer etc). The nurse in my GP's even said that I should avoid using HRT unless I really had to. 
I had to start using it as I am seeing a doctor at the women's hospital about random Vaginal bleeding (I've had a hysterectomy and was left with only 1 ovary).  He said it was probably the menopause and thinning/drying that caused the bleeding. 
As I said I have noticed an improvement already, and I was wondering what others thought about using HRT.
thanks x

[Hurdity]

Hi jille



I'm not sure what you mean by HRT pessaries but I presume these are Vagifem?

Unfortunately the view that HRT causes breast cancer and other risks are still put about by the press and many doctors still use this line. Your nurse is totally out of order to suggest that you should avoid using HRT! It has many long term health benefits!

If you browse about the forum - especially the "All things menopause" section and the "Personal Experiences" you will find lots of recent disucssions about the benefits and risks of HRT.

Also looking at the menu on the left there is an enormous amount of information including the risks and benefits of HRT and balancing these. Click on the green menu second one down - Hormone Replacement Therapy and there is a whole sub menu with heaps of info.

The news section here also has summaries of the latest research. The latest 3 pages are the most interesting.
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/news.php

You haven't said how old you are and whether you have other symptoms, but the good news is that in your case if you decide to take full HRT (oestrogen) you don't need to take a progestogen as you don't have a womb - and it is this part of HRT that can causes problems for some women.

Glad you have noticed some improvement already!

Hurdity x

[tiger74]

Hi Jille

How are you doing?

I see you haven't had many replies to your original post.

Quite a few of the ladies who post on this forum are users or former users of HRT and will sing its praises and it's good that it works/worked for them and has helped significantly with quality of life. 

I am not able to use it and, frankly, even if I had been I think it would be very unlikely I would have used it unless my menopausal symptoms had been life-threatening.  I've always striven to deal with health issues with minimal medication.  (Unfortunately having had a (non-menopausal related) life-threatening health issue 4+ years ago I had to make the decision to succumb to heavy-duty medication regimes  ).
 
You don't say how you feel about HRT?

I guess at the end of the day it's a balancing act.  Risks vs benefits.  We make many decisions in life that involve weighing these against each other and the decision on whether to take a particular medication is an example of this. 

[honeybun]

I don't think anyone has ever thought that meno is life threatening but it does impact hugely on quality of life.
A lot of ladies on the forum have spoken of quality over quantity.

I know what one I chose. Why struggle through your late forties and fifties and sometimes beyond for no good reason.
If you have a headache then you take a pain killer, if you are diabetic then you take insulin. If you are menopausal and can't manage then you take HRT.

Personal choice of course.


Honeyb
x

[tiger74]

Yep, personal choice....  quality vs quantity of life, medical intervention vs non-intervention.  Lots of aspects related to one's present and previous life experiences will influence the choices.

When I said 'life threatening' I was thinking of things like menopausal symptoms which could be so trying as to make someone feel suicidal, or osteopaenia/osteoporosis which could lead to serious bone fractures which could be life-threatening.

I've never taken a pain-killer for a headache 

[Winterose]

I think that if ladies  have "managed " without HRT then their symptoms are probably not too bad , Hrt was something I was never going to take  due to press and the thought that this will never happen to me etc then when symptoms hit, sweats, sleepless nights , fuzzy head , aching body and the rest ,I was in to see GP asap. These symptoms hit me like a brick wall and came within 3 weeks of each other . I know that without HRT my life would not be the mostly happy enjoyable experience it is .  Look at the latest reports as they are very encouraging.  Dont put up with feeling awful as this reflects on family, friends  and life in general,  you can end up utterly miserable - and the point is you dont have to , no one is going to give you any medals or cheer you on for not taking it. 

[Kathleen]

Hello jille and welcome to the forum.

I was another one who didn't think I'd take HRT. When my periods stopped three and a half years ago and lots of problems hit me like a train, I still resisted, believing that everything would settle soon enough. Well, they didn't settle and there came a point when I needed some relief!

I am in favour of HRT for anyone who is in need, as we can't all be lucky enough to 'sail' through the menopause. Incidentally I thought I'd manage natural childbirth when I had my babies and that didn't work out as planned either! You just never know what mother nature has up her sleeve do you.

Take care.

K.

[Mad dog!]

Hi I am a newbie and posted in a couple of sections today. I'm 49 started HRT Ellese Duet 1mg 3 weeks ago now (onto the green tablet section!) I had headaches and nausea to begin with, but found drinking ginger ale helped! I have to say that my flushes are less, as is the wet bed in the morning...I started a new Anti Depressant at the same time, (which didn't suit me) so have changed to Sertraline, which although I have 'waves' of overwhelming teariness and anxiety when out & about....fingers crossed symptoms seem to be lessening, and I'm having more 'up' times than 'down'. My sleeping is terrible, I go off ok...but wake at stupid o'clock & then cant get back to sleep.
I wanted to ask if anyone else has shared this mixture of emotions...or even 1 or 2 of them?

[Milamam]

Hi Mad dog! And welcome to the forum!
I am also new to this forum and I know how helpful for me the experiences of everyone here have been for me!

You are really brave to start ADs and HRT at one and the same time. No wonder you body is "confused" and trying to,adjust and thus  your array of emotions. ADs affect the serotonin levels in the brain. So do the estrogens. Estrogens affect/influence many other neurotransmiters. It will definitely take some time for you to get settled on both thE AD and the HRT. I hope all will work out well!

[PetraE]

Hi Mad Dog!

I am also a Newbie and have been on Elleste Duet for 3 weeks meaning am on the green tablets now. I had a similar experience when I first started taking them, headaches , nausea and palpitations, which all seemed to settle after about 4 days in to taking the pills. However, my sleep pattern sounds like yours...very tired, go to sleep alright most nights, but wake up from about 1am several times per night. This leaves me feeling exhausted on a daily basis and desperate for a proper sleep all the time. Having said that, there are some ladies on here who have said the sleep should settle down after taking Elleste for at least 3 months...so there is hoping.....

[Mad dog!]

hi PetraE & Milamam....so nice to read replies. Yes y're right my body ~ well more my mind, really does feel "confused", & still all over the place. My sleep is rubbish, even with tablets.....so that was good news to hear that it calms down after 3 months usually. I have some beta blockers too twice a day. I feel a bit like a 'druggie' to be honest...but desperately want to be back feeling like my old happy, crazy, laugh-a-lot self. This site is a real help in SO many ways & is deffo helping me to get through such a ' dark-clouded' stage of womanhood. Keep up these wonderful positive posts ladies xx

[Suzyq]

Hi all

I had the per menopause from hell. Struggled for over 5 years with dizzyness anxiety headaches - had night sweats too but didn't really mind them!

Finally got given hrt - on a continuous regime of estradot and progesterone every day and after nearly six months on it, I am pretty stable, sleeping well, managing occasional anxiety but living a full life!

I am not back to how I was before this all hit, and suspect I will never get back there, but I at least feel like I have come through it all - and am stronger for it! For some reason I still have odd bad weeks (my own hormones going mad?) but I know what these are now! Sooo it will get better - patience is key and learning to listen to your body and what it is telling you it needs! I am lucky in that I have a very flexible regime and can top up with oestrogel or progesterone cream if needed.

Good luck to you all and hopes this helps!

[Katejo]

I think that if ladies  have "managed " without HRT then their symptoms are probably not too bad , Hrt was something I was never going to take  due to press and the thought that this will never happen to me etc then when symptoms hit, sweats, sleepless nights , fuzzy head , aching body and the rest ,I was in to see GP asap. These symptoms hit me like a brick wall and came within 3 weeks of each other . I know that without HRT my life would not be the mostly happy enjoyable experience it is .  Look at the latest reports as they are very encouraging.  Dont put up with feeling awful as this reflects on family, friends  and life in general,  you can end up utterly miserable - and the point is you dont have to , no one is going to give you any medals or cheer you on for not taking it. 

You talk about ladies who have "managed" without. Part of the problem is not knowing exactly how your experience relates to that of others, milder or more severe? Are some people more tolerant of symptoms, perhaps because they know the probable cause, or do some just have a far worse experience? I have resisted taking HRT, perhaps because I don't want to take more drugs. If i got additional symptoms, I wouldn't know whether to attribute them to the HRT or not.

[Hurdity]

Hi katejo

The thing about HRT is that provided you take the bio-identical combo (ie oestradiol and progesterone) you are not taking drugs - you are doing what it says on the tin ie replacing your missing hormones!

Maybe you are on some other medication and feel that HRT would be adding to this? For those on thyroid medication, some adjustment may be necessary when on oral HRT especially but apart from this it is a normal thing to do, and especially if you are under the natural average age of menopause or still within the normal range of menopause age!

You know I don't think it matters how your experience relates to others - because it's how it feels to you that's most important. If you feel you can tolerate your symptoms well and are perfectly happy, and you are going through menopause at the average age - then I can see why you may not consider HRT.

My view is that anyone who is under the average age of menopause, and/or who feels their life and well-being is diminished through menopause, and has no medical reason not to take it, would be advised to seriously consider HRT. You can't turn the clock back and for many women their 40's and 50's are a time when they need to be on top form - with children/jobs or even grandchildren to cope with, as well as partners and husbands, and sometimes new relationships. No need to suffer!!!!

Hurdity x