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[Wrensong]

Hi lor.com.  I would see how you get on with HRT, try not to worry about any potential continuation resistance & address it if/when it occurs.  As the others have said, arbitrary age limits should not apply if there is no medical reason for stopping HRT & you prefer to continue.  I was told by my then GP when I started HRT 9 years ago that 60 would be the cut-off, but at 62 I'm still taking it with the backing of both endocrinologist & gynae - "for life" the latter said.

Sorry the following thyroid stuff is off piste, but seems important to address it when quite a few members have thyroid concerns.

AngelaH

This is why NHS does not treat thyroid issues at this stage, because the only treatment which can help is HRT and once sex hormones are recovered thyroid issues will be gone.

I think there is some confusion here.  As Joziel says, the NHS does treat thyroid disease during menopause, with appropriate thyroid medication.  If the thyroid gland is diseased, sex hormone replacement will not reverse the damage.

Joziel

You cannot get T3 on the NHS

I get mine on the NHS; without it my T3 levels are chronically well below range.  But you're right that many hypothyroid patients are not so lucky.  I do have to go private for T3 testing though  .  It is still not usually included as part of an NHS TFT, which is frustrating given the NHS acknowledges my need for T3 & it's such a powerful hormone the effects of inadvertently being on too high a dose can mimic those of some menopause symptoms, with potential for harm if the wrong dose is taken for too long.

[CLKD]

And no, once sex hormones are recovered thyroid issues will not be 'gone' - there are many women who need both. They have an impact on each other but are largely separate systems.
. Joziel - that's how I understood it.  Some NHS GPs simply won't go the extra mile and do full testing when patients still complain of symptoms. 

[AngelaH]

Ladies,
I do take into account the fact that none of you are medical professionals. 

[joziel]

What does that mean? Neither are you, so we take that into account on our parts too.

[AngelaH]

What does that mean? Neither are you, so we take that into account on our parts too.

It means I don’t expect you to have the same knowledge and understanding as a medical professional. 

I do have some medical background, I studied medicine in my native country. When I came to the UK my first job was a dental nurse  , the dental surgery, which I worked for, sent me to local college to study dental nursing for 1 year. I found the course was quite interesting for me, I did enjoy studying dentistry but job itself wasn’t a proper job, that was OK for part time job only.   

[CLKD]

I was a medical secretary working closely with Consultants and Registrars so I gleaned a lot of knowledge over those years and was a respected member of the Team..  I also have vast experience of vaginal atrophy and other perimenopause symptoms. 

I don't get some of your points AngelaH .......... U R on a Forum with various personal experiences regarding how the UK NHS fails women because medics don't seem to be up2date with what we require: that is from Nurse Practitioners, GPs, Consultants ........ so discussing on MM Forum helps spread knowledge.

[CLKD]

how R U lor.com?   There is no limit now for women taking HRT as long as they remain in general well.  Protection for bones and heart health as well as easing the many peri-menopause symptoms means that replacement therapy can really enable us.

[Ayesha]

Ladies,
I do take into account the fact that none of you are medical professionals. 

No, but the members here know a damn sight more than many, it was the women on this forum that diagnosed my GSM, not the medical profession. It was the women here that gave me the right language to use when I had to do all the research myself on a condition I had never heard of.
When I eventually got to see a gynae all she said was you need oestrogen down there, she never mentioned the name of the condition, the women here did!

Your arrogant behaviour is disrespectful and not justified.

[AngelaH]

I was a medical secretary working closely with Consultants and Registrars so I gleaned a lot of knowledge over those years and was a respected member of the Team..  I also have vast experience of vaginal atrophy and other perimenopause symptoms. 

I don't get some of your points AngelaH .......... U R on a Forum with various personal experiences regarding how the UK NHS fails women because medics don't seem to be up2date with what we require: that is from Nurse Practitioners, GPs, Consultants ........ so discussing on MM Forum helps spread knowledge.

A medical secretary is a sort of admin job.     And this is why you can’t be employed as a medical professional. Just standing next to a medical professional can’t make anyone a medical professional. It takes years and years to study various medical subjects in universities or medical schools and then years of practicing to gain a full qualifications and knowledge.

This form is non professional forum, ladies just share their experiences, without knowledge of actual science. So when you talking about spreading the knowledge you always should bear in mind that knowledge comes from people who are not specialists and it may be just they own understanding. 

You can’t work for NHS and be free, you should follow the rules. GP this is specialist of general practice. It means GP should know a little about everything. This is primary level of care. But we sometimes do expect from them too much. It would be easier if we could reach straight to specific specialists we need, but again we can’t really do that because NHS have its own rules and we need to follow them too. As a medical professional in the past myself I know that you always can find good and knowledgeable in their field professionals and not so good and not so knowledgeable, so it always works like how lucky you are. 

[AngelaH]

No, but the members here know a damn sight more than many, it was the women on this forum that diagnosed my GSM, not the medical profession. It was the women here that gave me the right language to use when I had to do all the research myself on a condition I had never heard of.
When I eventually got to see a gynae all she said was you need oestrogen down there, she never mentioned the name of the condition, the women here did!

Your arrogant behaviour is disrespectful and not justified.

They are different advices on this forum, some of them good and some of them are quite harmful. I do agree Doctors don’t talk enough to us, they don’t have enough time.

Am not here to justify myself, I can’t see the point doing that.

[Dr. Heather Currie]

I think that the initial comment on this thread was about starting HRT at age 60 for future benefits, not necessarily for symptom control? Apologies if I have misunderstood.
A few points to clarify--
Starting at HRT purely for preventive effect, not for symptom control and not for early menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency, is not currently recommended, unless there are risk factors for osteoporosis, when it can be considered. -HRT started under the age of 60, or within 10 years of the menopause is believed to provide cardiovascular benefit, but not if started after the "window of opportunity".
There is not enough evidence that HRT reduces the risk of dementia, especially if started after the window of opportunity, and may in fact increase the risk if started after a gap.
HRT does provide benefit for bone health at any stage, but other factors need to be considered such as nutrition, exercise, family history, age at menopause etc.
I hope that this is helpful.

Regarding education for healthcare professionals, we are doing masses of work through the British Menopause Society to improve knowledge so that women receive consistent advice. We are also aware that not all information for women is accurate so please use the trusted resources on this website, plus Women's Health Concern and the British Menopause Society.

Finally, I am saddened to see some unhelpful, posts being critical of others--this forum was set up many years ago to provide a platform for women to share, encourage, support, and feel safe. Please keep this in mind.
Thank-you all so much for using and contributing to Menopause Matters

[CLKD]

Tnx Dr Currie for the clarification.

A medical secretary is a sort of admin job. . this type of comment is why I started my thread a few weeks ago !


Come back in lor.com ......... give us an update.