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[Butterfly22]

I was wondering if anyone has gone down this route, I've had loads of problems with HRT waiting to go to the doctors so not been on anything the last few weeks and it's the best I've felt in years although hot sweats are creeping back up.
I'm a little worried as still quit early I was 25 when it started but 43 and the majority of the time I've been on it.
I'm going for a bone scan next week so that will tell me how my bones are.
Any advice be great thank you xx

[Tempest]

I'm not in early menopause Lil but I have had a hysterectomy at 36 and ovaries removed aged 46 and stopped my HRT 2 months ago as felt awful on everything I tried.

So far, I feel so much better mentally with more energy and actually sleep better. I may have other problems with secondary hypothyroidism so I'm waiting to see an endocrinologist.

My advice is to rest plenty, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and give your body a good amount of time to adjust - limit stress as much as possible too.

Good luck! xxxxx

[Butterfly22]

Hi Tempest
Thank you so much, I'm the same feel more normal and sleeping better then I have in years, I still wake a couple of times but I normally wake every two hours.
I've just gone through notes and seems it's only 10 days I stopped the patch I thought it was longer.
I may have a month or two off it all and see how I feel.
So pleased it's working for you. I guess we have to try these things.
And thank you good luck to you to xxxx

[Dancinggirl]

I think taking a break from HRT is a good idea. Whilst you may feel better initially, the meno symptoms could return gradually. You may do better on quite a low dose of HRT. I had POF and struggled to find the right HRT. My best HRT regime was one pump of Oestrogel every day with progesterone for 10 days each month - this did mean I had to put up with a bleed each month but it kept things stable.  I think Provera may be a good option for progesterone as it's lkinder and often well tolerated. MNy women do well on Utrogestan but I personally found it problematic in many ways.
Starting afresh after a one to two month break is really is a good idea.
I would suggest that using HRT til at least 50 would be good as you don't want bone density to suffer and also urogenital atrophy can be so difficult to treat once it has set in. There aren't any true alternatives to HRT. DG x

[CLKD]

There is a natural 'room' here somewhere ........

Menopause is natural but sometimes hormonal upheaval can be overwhelming which is where:

good diet, exercise, me time can help.  As can consideration of various products such as those found in H&B which can give initial relief but if hormones take over, the lady finds less benefit from them.  Read round about HRT - also the use of some ADs has been found to help with anxiety and hot flushes.

Maybe keeping a list of food/mood/symptoms might be beneficial so that you can chart how you feel? 

[Lizab]

I'm early, 40 now, and 8 weeks without hrt after trying it for a year. I found that it helped some things but made other things much worse. I'm not sure if I'm over the worst of it, if hrt helped me get through it or would have settled without hrt, or if in time symptoms will intensify again, but for now I'm relieved to be off the hrt. My mother was only a few years older in early-mid 40s when she went through naturally, and she's about 70 now with no major health issues, so I'm hoping that's good news for me. I won't say never, but I hope to not return to replacing hormones.

[Annie0710]

I Had POF at 32 after my hysterectomy and max dose oestrogen sorted me 100%, however things came crashing down at 46 during natural peri whilst still On high doses.  Now I'm at least 2 years post meno I'm doing much better on half tablet Tibolone .  I've often wondered if I'd be even better on none at all.  But reluctant to try right now as this is the best I've felt in 5 years.  I wake some nights with night sweats proving I've really reduced the hrt intake so makes sense how some women don't cope as well on hrt as others.  The night sweats aren't bothering me either.   

[Dancinggirl]

Now 61 and having tried just about every HRT regime going, I firmly believe that HRT can never truly replace our own hormone balance - HRT will always be about compromises. Most treatments will bring benefits and side effects but the consequences of the lack of oestrogen too early can, and often does, effect our health quite seriously in the long term. Not giving the oestrogen your body needs till the age of 50 is a gamble. Even though I used HRT from the age of 37, I am still feeling the consequences of too little oestrogen  - for me the urogenital atrophy has to be constantly managed and I know my joints are not good.
I think there still needs to be better support and treatment available for POF sufferers. Osteoporosis is a crippling problem which the nhs is still not monitoring well enough generally and ends up costing a fortune in treatment and care. The treatments for osteoporosis can also give some nasty side effects so preventing the thinning of our bones is vital.
I am certainly not an advocate of HRT for every women going through the meno at a normal age but anyone under the age of 50 who is oestrogen deficient really needs to think if the consequences 10-20 years down the line.
If however you have a good bone density in you mid 40s, ensure you are getting plenty of of weighbaring excersise, keep to a healthy weight and maintain muscle tone, get enough calcium, vitamin d and magnesium, then you may be able to prevent some of the deterioration. Osteoporosis is also hereditary so look at you older relations.
As for other problems due to oestrogen deficiency:
Urogenital atrophy can be helped with local
Oestrogen, so even if you don't have problems now I would suggest using some Vagifem regularly now to help
prevent this - this will probably be needed for many years if not for life. Ian will need this till my dying day.
To protect your heart, do take Omega 3 and reduce fat intake -  exercise well etc.
I also know that  including some good relaxation into you daily life is another vital aspect whether on HRT or not.
So, yes there are natural ways of dealing with oestegen  defiency but it requires a lot of life changes and discipline.dG x

[Butterfly22]

Thank you for your own stories, advice and replays ladies, all very interesting.
It's hard to look at my mum to get a rough idea as I was going through the menopause same time as her I was 25, she was 55 and sailed through it with no HRT. And her mum died when she was in her 40's so I can't make much of family history.
I do live pretty healthy and take vitamins ect but as exersise I'm lucky to get to pilates once away if I'm not bad with the ME.
I do walk a lot though when I'm ok.

I may keep a chart good idea, I was due at the doctors on tue but put it back a couple of weeks to see how I go, but I can feel the hot flushes creeping back.
It is right though ladies who have POF should have a lot more help.
Luckly after advised on here I told my doctor I really needed another bone scan as in the past she said you had one 7 yrs ago was ostoprina and you take calcium nothing more you can do.

I think I'll have a few weeks break see how I go, I was going down the provera and tablets route as tried everything else.

Thanks for advice though and your own stories and views. Xxxx