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[Emm225]

I saw this article today, it arrived in my news feed on my phone .
https://www.oprahmag.com/life/health/a32700308/hormone-therapy/

I am due to speak (note..speak, not see unfortunately) my doctor on Monday as not terribly settled or happy on the estrodot patches (25) and oral utrogeston tablets she prescribed for me last Feb  I haven't had a review until now as been unable to get an appointment to speak to her ..and even then I didn't make the appointment, the pharmacist did as was they were unhappy with what she was prescribing in addition to HRT.

I worry about being on HRT anyway .  I know they haven't proved irrevocably risks of cancer etc but I worry (having lost or been through it all with friends who have had cancer...breast and ovarian) ...and always thought I would just power through the old menopause, mind over matter and all that.  Which is all very well if you are have the mind you did in your 30s..minde unfortunately met up with my hormones and seemed to get up and go, leaving me with a different, less effective mind which catastrophizes,  gets very anxious and mixes up , if it actually remembers, words and can't make decisions easily.  Oh..and a body which likes to boil up every hour, 24 hours a day making it difficult to get a reasonable amount of sleep, and also decided that fat on the belly was a better look than the look I had had for over 50 years.....

Anyway, I was hoping HRT would get me through the worst of this and when I came off a lot would be over with but reading this article it seems not to be the case.  Can anyone tell me how they are when they came off, how long they had been on it and any side effects etc? 

[KarineT]

Hi Emm225,

Sorry to hear about how you feel.  I'm afraid I don't know the answer to this but I wish I could help.  I will be 50 next month and I believe I'm peri and struggling as I'm going through an emotional rollercoaster.
I don't get too many physical symptoms like hot flushes.  I haven't had a period for 7 months now and at times I feel dreadful.  I'm hoping that once I reach the menopause and I'm on the other side  I will feel better. I'm not on HRT because a) I'm worried I won't be able to wean myself off of it, b) I'm concerned about side effects and health risks and c) I don't want any bleeds (very common with combo HRT).  Also, with HRT, there is no way to tell what your natural hormones are doing and, hence, when the menopause has occurred.  I personally don't think HRT should be taken forever. It's meant to be used as a temporary relief.  Also, can we still get it on the NHS after, say, 5 years? Will doctors carry on prescribing it or will they be reluctant to do so?

Karine

[jillydoll]

Hi.
Well, last night I was searching for answers, as I've been thinking about coming off my hrt.
However, the three articles I did read, wasn't good at all.
Three women had their hrt stopped by their GPS, and have suffered ever since.
Hair thinning, arthritis, aching joints, lack of sleep, skin dried out, they said they'd aged 10 years since stopping, vaginal dryness, their flushes and moods came back.
Some say, after a while your body gets used to having little eostrogen in the body and everything settles down, others say it doesn't and goes on for years.
Unfortunately, we don't know which one we are, it's the luck of the draw, as I see it. xx

[CLKD]

If it ain't broke ......... I haven't read the article as I really think that ladies must make their decisions on how they feel.  Maybe keeping a mood/food/symptom diary would be better to chart progress?

Some ladies have stopped HRT to see how far they are along the journey or have had the prescription option withdrawn by GPs due to old fashioned ideas, i.e. should stop by age 50; whereas many continue for the rest of their Life and get on with enjoying themselves if the treatment suits. 

Also, some times a regime works but if a lady stops when she restarts her body doesn't respond in the same way due to hormonal rises and falls.  So why risk it?

It really can be Trial and Error  .  There are several ways of adminsitering HRT these days so maybe put your medication name into the search box to see what pops up?  Make notes .  Which symptom would you like to ease first Emm225?

[Perinowpost]

I agree with FrannyB as menopause symptoms are a direct result of falling hormone levels, it stands to reason if you stop hrt (which is replacing said hormones) that symptoms will reappear.

I plan never to come off as for me  the benefits far outweigh the negatives.  I reconcile this to myself by taking responsibility and keeping as healthy as possible; and remembering that hrt is not a drug (like some meds) but merely hormone replacement.  Life is too short to suffer x

[Sparkler]

Hi ladies

One of the benefits of patches/gel is that when it’s time to stop we can reduce slowly, adjusting over time rather than going cold turkey. It did affect my decision about which type of HRT.

Sparkler

[pricey]

I've weaned myself off Oestrogel and utrogestan over about 6 months-possibly a,little too quickly towards the end. So far I'm feeling ok with minimal flushes,  but have been bleeding off and on for 7 weeks. Some months I had a withdrawal bleed plus my own bleed anyway, others I just had the withdrawal bleed, so I'm kind of thinking my body doesn't know where it's at. I suppose my question is, after 5 years on HRT,  especially if still peri (despite being 55), can you expect a 'settling out' period (3 months?), much like a settling in period? 

Hope this makes sense!

X

[CLKD]

I don't think that you can 'expect' anything where hormones are involved 

[Taz2]

Makes perfect sense!   

On the two occasions I've been forced to stop HRT all of my previous symptoms had returned by the end of three months so I guess that could be called a settling-out period!

Taz x

[Beaker]

Pricey how did you wean off Utrogestan??  Did you start taking it every other day?

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies

I stopped taking my HRT (Oestrogel and Utrogestan vaginally ) fourteen months ago. I am almost 64  and didn't experience any bleeding  probably because I am ten years post meno.

I had already  been reducing the pumps from 2 to a half over about two months and I then just stopped taking the Utrogestan. Roughly two weeks later I completely stopped using the Oestrogel.

We all differ in how we respond when starting HRT so it seems reasonable that we have varying experiences in coming  off  of it.

I am still struggling with mood issues but the mild flushes seem to have gone away of late. I am hoping they stay away and the mood swings and anxiety soon head in the same direction!

Hopefully this is of help to some ladies and wishing you all well.


K.

[Beaker]

Thanks Kathleen, that’s helpful.

[pricey]

Hi Beaker,

I was only using it sequentially, 12 days a month. As I'd had a lot of breakthrough bleeding -due to messing with the Oestrogel over 3-4 months I think -(I was doing fine until then so it coincided), I didn't take the last 12 days of utrogestan. I had been on a smidgen of Oestrogel for a month, so stopped. Perhaps that's where I went wrong and I should have done the 12 days after all, because I spotted for about 5 weeks until finally having what appears to have been a humdinger of a period.  I'm hoping things will settle now. If not, I'll need to get some advice from the GP. 

X

[Js]

Hi ladies

Yes it is a minefield during meno but i think it boils down to what is best and works for each of us I am 61been on hrt patches since age 50 and should really come off It I did after 5 years for a break but then got spotting and the hot sweats came back so went back on it again I have been reducing patch to half then now on quarter but getting hot flushes so I know if I stop all together I might get them worse and I can’t cope with them during the night so I’m happy to remain on quarter and so is my meno nurse you have to wean yourself hrt otherwise it’s too,much change for the body at once and as I don’t like taking tablets I find the evorel conti patch  manageable and can control it better. I know there has been some problem in manufacturing of this patch which doesn’t help things but I think it’s available again now . I’m hoping that one day my meno symptoms will stop but how long have I got to,wait is another thing. We should nt have to suffer and so what ever makes us feel comfortable and can enjoy life stick with it

Js

[Sage 🍃]

Hi everyone, this interesting Case in Menopause article is called 'When should a menopausal woman discontinue hormone therapy?"

https://www.mdedge.com/obgyn/article/80054/menopause/when-should-menopausal-woman-discontinue-hormone-therapy/page/0/3