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[gratefulglaze0]

Hello
I’m Angie, 54 yrs old and live in the US. I had total hysterectomy at age 26 after chronic endometriosis and 3 live births. No ovaries, no nothin. I didn’t go on hormone replacement for many years and live a very crunchy lifestyle, I’m in good health overall.
About 9 months ago I started feeling like dirt. I was having hot flashes for first time in many years, super fatigued, achy joints, etc.
On January 28 I started estrogen patch (Estrodial) and my dr started me at .1… within a month my breasts had doubled in size and were so swollen and painful I felt like I had mastitis again. I was having breakout acne and my sleep was awful. So she lowered my dose to .05 patch and those side effects improved but not dissipated. My breasts are still tender, but most recently I have become overwhelmed with dark dark depression. It has really hit me like a train.

My main question is at my age, and given the fact that I’m not naturally going thru menopause, is it necessary for me to be on HRT? I’m aware of the benefits with bone and heart health but I am also really proactive with my health and wellness thru nutrition and herbal supplements. I can’t deal with this darkness. I feel like it’s overcoming me and nothing I can do helps. My goal was to give it 3 months which will be the end of this month but I don’t know if I can go on like this.

[CLKD]

So: stop for 6 weeks to give your body a break.

   even when ovaries have been removed there may be enough 'stump' left to pump out oestrogen.  Your symptoms seem like low oestrogen: achy joints in particular.  There are other methods of delivering replacement, I am sure that others will be along with advice.

It's 9.20 a.m. here, sun is shining.  Browse round the Forum, make notes ;-). 

I've been in dark places too without replacement therapy.  Awful and very scary.

Let us know how you get on.

[sheila99]

I also think it's most likely you retained some ovarian function and that's why you're getting meno symptoms now. I don't know what's available in the US but I'd suggest to switch to something else and start on the lowest dose.

[Emmia49]

Welcome to the forum Angie! 

First of all, you are not alone, we are here to share our experiences and help each other.

There are many wonderful and knowledgeable ladies on this forum who will be able to give you good advice if you decide to try different types of HRT.

I want to share my experience with you, because I have experienced a similar situation to yours.

I am 49 years old and last year I was hit by perimenopausal symptoms overnight.
Insomnia, hot flashes, anxiety, unbearable tinnitus. Before that I was a completely healthy athlete, because I ran long distances and had no health problems.

For less than a month I was not able to do even basic things like go to the store, take a shower or socialize.

I decided to try HRT and after several months of trying different types and doses of HRT, I realized that HRT only made my situation worse.

For the first time in my life I experienced depression.

Unfortunately, HRT can cause depression in rare cases. That was the case for me.

I know there are women on this forum who experience severe anxiety from estrogen and depression from progesterone.

In short, I felt completely alone, left to try different HRTs. I always felt like doctors didn't even know what peri/menopause was and at one point I wanted to die.

Yes, I even started thinking about it.

Then, I made the decision very reluctantly and with great difficulty that I needed AD to get out of this dark hole. It took 4 months for me to start feeling at least a little better.
Today I am somehow functioning, but not perfectly.

I am sure that this suffering will end one day when my periods, which I still have, stop.

I want to tell you that you are not alone. Listen to your body and your inner voice, because in the end you always find the right answer yourself.

Remember that this will end one day and you will be okay.

I wish you all the best on your journey to find a solution.

Let us know how you are doing.

Sending you lots of hugs!

Emma

[CLKD]

I believe that there are a couple of anti-depressant medications [ADs] that can ease flushing/flashes.

[bombsh3ll]

It's no wonder starting on a physiological dose of estrogen sent things crazy after decades of no replacement!

A much more conservative starting dose such as 25mcg may be better tolerated.

As to why you became symptomatic in your 50s, this could be related to multiple things, such as aging or decline in adrenal hormone production - the adrenals produce some extragonadal sex steroids such as DHEA which can help keep an early menopausal patient afloat until they too start to dwindle.

If you are predominantly concerned about the long term health consequences of untreated young surgical menopause, it might be helpful to get a DEXA scan and a coronary artery calcium score to see where you are and inform your treatment decisions going forward.

[CLKD]

How do U feel today?