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[honorsmum]

I'm in a perimenopause support group on FB, where the majority of members are American.
It makes very interesting (and slightly shocking) reading. Firstly, the large number of women who believe they are going through peri in their 30's. Secondly, the number who are on numerous antidepressant/sedative medications, and thirdly the overwhelming consensus that hormone treatment is not worth the risks and to be avoided at all costs.

It seems ironic that many of these women are struggling with addiction to various drugs for anxiety, pain etc that they have been prescribed to help deal with PMT and menstrual issues, many of them are going through ablations, hysterectomies, buying various drugs and "potions" online,BUT HRT is seen as something to avoid at all costs.

Is the HRT available in the US different from here, or is it just "sold" differently to women?

[peegeetip]

Unfortunately the USA seems more risk adverse.

You just have to look newspapers and the alleged damage done to the dairy industry when they said butter, full fat milk etc was bad.

If you go round the supermarkets in the USA your bombarded by low or zero cholesterol everything. The butter tastes like oily watery stuff.

Thankfully I've stuck with the full fat genuine 100% butter over the warning years and its not done me any harm as the newspapers are now gladly chiming.

The same may have been done for the HRT industry by well meaning but ill judged trials on much older post menopausal ladies (~63 years old).
This may have left the a deeper fear legacy for HRT in the USA,
There are lots of similarities to the deeper and more fearful attitude to cholesterol also.
 
Had this not happened I wonder if we'd have been further advanced or have a better understanding of HRT in peri & meno would be. We may never know.

But for now, like my butter, I'll be continuing with my full fat HRT

[honorsmum]

Interesting, peegeetip.
I wonder if, following on from your suggestion of outdated research on older women, doctors over there overstate the risks of HRT because of the law suit culture?

I just find it bizarre that a lot of the women are taking all sorts of other medications to try to curb meno symptoms, self-medicating etc but absolutely will not consider HRT.

[peegeetip]

Bizarre is a good description (so is the butter) 

I think your right on the law suit culture.
Its strange as there are risks to most drugs even ibuprofen

As discussed on other posts a lot of these non HRT self medication is totally uncontrolled in the same way true HRT is.

HRT is the same compounds as in the USA but with different brand names so no difference really.

In terms of the other serious items you see on their FB page:

"Firstly, the large number of women who believe they are going through peri in their 30's. Secondly, the number who are on numerous antidepressant/sedative medications, and thirdly the overwhelming consensus that hormone treatment is not worth the risks and to be avoided at all costs."

For peri symptoms for woman in their 30's, there is every chance of premature failure and possibly given their larger population your going to encounter more. There are so many factors to take into account but there could be a "me too" culture in terms of health issues there.

The AD and Sedative approach I find quite insidious. They are handed out like sweets from my own experience with little regard to the effects to those using them. I've experience within my family of being handed out these when the underlying cause was something really simple that a blood test would have picked up.

On the last item we do still see a lot of posts from people who's doctors are in that view and totally behind the curve on current information. Its a shame that there is not a standard or easy option people can take to alleviate this problem we all face from time to time.

 

[CLKD]

Also many people in the States are covered by Insurance ……… I wonder if this is significant in how they are treated generally?  whereas those that can't afford Health Insurance may well rely on what they read are told particularly by companies who have a vested interest.

[honorsmum]

Again, really interesting points.

I will admit, I did wonder how much of the posting is a "me too" attitude. I notice certain buzz words/symptoms that seem to be Jul ed on and repeated again and again.
I have had some experience of this myself, having questioned whether I had a possible thyroid issue, despite my tests coming back as "normal". On a thyroid site, I had everyone telling me that I needed to gave x, y,z tests (privately) because it certainly sounded like a thyroid issue. I got swept along for a short while, until I realised that a/ "normal" test results could actually be "normal" for many people (ie not inaccurate), and b/ my symptoms could also be anxiety or premenopausal, or even POTS, as someone tried to persuade me on a palpitations site.
It would be very easy to get swept up into believing you had a particular condition in some support groups, especially those whose members are already feeling emotionally vulnerable.

[CLKD]

Agreed.  Which is why a Health Led Forum is important.  I have been a member of several forums for different health conditions over the years ……… interesting to sit back and watch the various threads growing and the responses etc. given!

[honeybun]

One of our former members...Trey, who is from the USA has asked me to post this





I move house a great deal and have had at least six gynaes who have all said that they themselves would be on the patch until they died. 

I have never been offered ADs. 

I have never heard of any women being turned down for HRT or ERT.  I am a registered nurse and have worked in hospitals and a medical office that dealt with prolapse surgery. 

It is easy in the US to get hormones or hysterectomies or other gyn surgery.  It is too often the patients' choice.  Rarely would anyone chance internet meds as meds not difficult to get from personal physicians and also, most are covered by insurance.

We do not have waiting periods and yes, most are insured.  BUT I think the waiting periods in UK and the more restrictive giving out of prescriptions are a good thing, in that many surgeries and loads of prescriptions are probably unnecessary, in the US.

The only restriction I've ever had was one gynae insisted on a mammogram before she'd refill my ERT.  And in US annual mamms are paid for by Medicare and nearly all insurance.  Although I'm concerned that mamms are a mixed blessing after a horrible biopsy experience.

Every woman my age that I know is on some form of replacement HRT.  None are on ADs.   ADs are not given as a first choice for meno symptoms here, to my knowledge.   Of course, all of this is just from my professional and personal experience.


Honeyb
X

[CLKD]

 

[honorsmum]

Thanks for your response, Trey. Very interesting to read another side.
Maybe what I've read on the FB group is very reflective of the type of people it attracts - it is purely a social media support group, with no medical information attached, no references to clinical studies etc.
A very recent thread asked if anyone was going through peri without resorting to meds, and the vast majority replied that they were dealing with it using things like vitamins and supplements because of the risks of HRT.
Interestingly, responses to a post about dryness, painful sex etc never mentioned vaginal atrophy (until I mentioned it, having been enlightened here!) - It really is a different world in that group.
I suspect that maybe it's down to the demographic of the group, rather than being representative of the US as a whole.

[CLKD]

Oh one doesn't talk about lady bits  Stateside ……….. it's all posh there tha knows 

[dixie63]

I live in the U.S., and I have had no problem being prescribed HRT. I don't think it is our doctors who are so against it, as much as there are many women here who mistrust "big pharma" and prefer natural remedies.

I am not one of them, as I welcome any prescription that can help me through this rough time!

I was happy to find this forum, where everyone is not pushing herbal remedies, holistic medicine, etc., like so many on the US forums tend to do.

[honeybun]

   dixie63.

For the newer members Trey was with us for many years before leaving late last year.

I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I said that she was one of our older members and also an ex nurse with a lifetime of experience. She is now mid 70s.

It's really interesting to read her experiences that seem to be echoed by our new member Dixie.

Not sure who is posting on these forums honorsmum. Would be interesting to find out why they are saying what they are.


Honeyb
X

[honorsmum]

Hi Dixie,

Interesting that you comment that many of the US sites push  herbal remedies etc - that's exactly what my initial post was saying.

Honeyb, from what I can tell, the age range of the group I'm talking about seems to be from early 30's to late 40's - not many 50+ as far as I can tell. There is a lot of focus on oestrogen dominance, so a lot of talk of progesterone cream and seemingly a resulting avoidance of vagifem.
I have been back and re-read the post about whether members were taking medication for peri, and all 76 responses said they were intending to see it through on herbals/vitamins and things like meditation, exercise, diet and acupuncture (and anti anxiety meds!)

[dixie63]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I was briefly a member of a Facebook menopause group myself, and the main suggestion I received was to eat ground flax seed and drink soy milk.
That may possibly help someone with mild symptoms, but no way it would begin to touch the severe symptoms I have had.

Needless to say, I left the group.