Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Mollymoo on July 26, 2023, 09:18:10 PM
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If you were managing good without HRT would your still feel the need to take it.
I have stopped taking it and feel really good. Went through early menopause and took HRT until I was 50. Never thought I would ever say this but I feel so much better without it. It’s been a good 4 months since I stopped it.
Why do I keep questioning myself! For some reason I have it in my head that the hrt will protect my heart and bones and I will live longer and be healthier but then surely if that was the case everybody would be taking it
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Well, more and more people are taking it for exactly those reasons. What is happening inside your body and what you feel like are sometimes not the same...
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I went through the menopause without using anything as I felt I didn't need it and I didn't want to take hrt. Now I'm post menopausal and have bad VA I've had to accept that I have to go on it to help control the symptoms. When I asked my doctor if I could come off it when things have improved she said if I came off it the symptoms would come right back. :o
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Hi Mollymoo. As Joziel says it is difficult to know what's best and it is an individual choice really. I see from your past posts that you were on Evorel conti and the norethisterone component in this HRT is well known for causing depression and anxiety and PMT type symptoms in a lot of women so if you do decide to restart then a change of HRT may make a lot of difference. Have you been given any advice on whether your oesteopenia will worsen without the HRT?
Taz x :)
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If I didn't have symptoms I wouldn't consider medication for anything. I wouldn't be aware of HRT helping bones/heart.
In the same way as if I didn't have a headache I wouldn't reach for Nurofen.
In the 1980s/90s I tried to do without anti-depressant medication but can't. Otherwise within 3 days I would be stuck in bed :-\
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Hello Mollymoo.
I think if you feel well without HRT you should carry on as you are.
If things change in the future you can always try again with another product and localised Oestrogen is available if you develop VA.
Take care.
K.
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Hi Mollymoo. As Joziel says it is difficult to know what's best and it is an individual choice really. I see from your past posts that you were on Evorel conti and the norethisterone component in this HRT is well known for causing depression and anxiety and PMT type symptoms in a lot of women so if you do decide to restart then a change of HRT may make a lot of difference. Have you been given any advice on whether your oesteopenia will worsen without the HRT?
Taz x :)
Thanks Taz. I guess that’s the question I have to ask my GP but she will probably say it’s trial and error. Have a scan in a year to see if it’s worse x
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I meant to say that I feel the important thing is that you used HRT up to the 'normal' age for meno so you would have given your heart and bones the protection which would have naturally been yours. Hopefully you will continue to feel well without it but you know you can restart should your symptoms increase in future years
Taz x
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Hi Mollymoo, if you want to continue without HRT (I am weaning myself off it due to side effects so I was pleased to read you are doing well), then have you thought about taking 3mg of boron as a daily supplement for bone health? I read about it on this forum somewhere and have since looked into it. It seems quite promising.
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Hi Mollymoo, if you want to continue without HRT (I am weaning myself off it due to side effects so I was pleased to read you are doing well), then have you thought about taking 3mg of boron as a daily supplement for bone health? I read about it on this forum somewhere and have since looked into it. It seems quite promising.
Hi Ermin
I took HRT for a long time and have always suffered with anxiety, depression, mood swings, then I had bleeding and had to be referred on a 2WW. Then I had a lump in my breast which turned out to be a cyst that was drained. I am not saying that any of this was the HRT but since coming off the HRT 4 months ago I can’t believe how much happier and normal I feel. I have even cut my Antidepressants in half and feel that it won’t be long until I wean myself off them.
The only reason I question going back on it is because I keep reading about it protecting your bones and heart and I am shit scared of anything happening to me.
Life is a gamble and I have heard so many stories of woman living to their 90s and never took HRT and I am now natural age for menopause so I think it’s time my body was left alone to do the natural things it should.
I take calcium and will have regular bone scans to make sure my osteopenia is not worsening
Good luck with your journey too xx
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My sister was on HRT in her 40s and 50s then stopped when she passed menopause and is fine without it. She has the odd hot flush but nothing she can't live normally with
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Morning ladies, watching these comments carefully as I have been on HRT for 4 plus years and never got it right despite trying different regimes and products so Wednesday night I took the plunge and ripped off my patch. I know that’s quite irrational but I was on patches and really don’t think I was benefiting much from them so thought why not give it a go. So far my sleep has been better for past 2 nights and all other symptoms have remained the same! I presume it’s not out of my system yet? I was on 100 Everol and have 50’s at the ready for the decline if it happens! Sorry I’m rambling 😄 will keep you posted xx Mollymoo if you feel ok I wouldn’t go back on the hrt, it’s what a lot of us dream of, not worrying about it xx
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If you've only tried Evorel Conti then that is probably why you feel better without it.
Evorel Conti seems to be a favourite of the NHS because of the lower cost per month to the state.
Like Flan747, I irrationally ripped off my Evorel Conti patch and walked away, because it was doing more harm than good to how I was feeling, northisterone isn't a modern progesterone, it's an old one, there are better tolerated ones if you decided to give it another go, if your oesteopenia got worse for instance.
I'm only still trying HRT because of my bones. The side effects are bigger than the benefits I feel, I hope to find something I can tolerate so long term my bones will be protected, ideally tibolone.
I'd love a bone scan, oesteoporosis is strongly seen in the bent over tiny little women who are every generation above me in my family and that is really the reason why I perservered and now I have estradot50 and utrogestan 200mg for 12 days a month. I want to protect my bones and I can't tolerate calcium tablets, I've had very painful IBS since childhood, like my foremothers also had, so perhaps we all don't absorb something properly. Doctors ruled out celiac disease.
This HRT doesn't make me feel worse except utrogestan gives me bad wind and reflux even when taken vaginally. My hot flushes are reduced, as are night sweats, but they're still a daily occurance.
I was already a year+some post menopause when I started HRT, but I'm not any more. I became peri again somehow, I don't understand the medical staff on this topic, they contradict each other all the time, but it seems I wasn't ovulating until I got HRT and now I seem to ovulate again and I need contraception too, so they say, I'm 53, my GP says her oldest mum was 53 so it's not unheard of!
At first they called it unexplained/abnormal post menopausal bleeding and I was referred for a scan, 9 months ago, to see what is going on, but it's the usual postcode lottery and our postcode's not a potentially tory one with the "extra" funding from the government, (I'd call it essential funding), so I haven't been able to have a scan yet and they changed my diagnosis instead ;D >:(
My uterine scan is next month btw, I have a date now and it's on day 28 of my cycle, to check the lining of my womb and I guess they'll try to estimate what it's thickness will be after my period, I'm not sure, it might get cancelled for the strikes anyway (which I fully support).
I want to get tibolone at some stage I've heard great things about it but I'm not allowed it while I still have (hrt induced) periods, as I'm only peri now, not post any more :o :o :o
If the scan shows the lining to be thick (the day before my period is due to start, my periods are always heavy with clots :bang:), I might stop taking estradot+utro as well, wait until my periods stop completely again and I'll be 54 later this year. At that point I might be allowed tibolone, who knows?
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That’s interesting meno -Mel! I just needed to see if it’s actually the HRT that’s making me feel worse and although drastic I’m glad I’ve done it as I need to know! I’m 54 and have the coil so no idea about peri or post. I spoke with my sister in law only yesterday and she is actually on Tibilone and loves it and I’ve been Googling about it this morning so thank you for posting, I’m so glad I found this post xx
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That’s interesting meno -Mel! I just needed to see if it’s actually the HRT that’s making me feel worse and although drastic I’m glad I’ve done it as I need to know! I’m 54 and have the coil so no idea about peri or post. I spoke with my sister in law only yesterday and she is actually on Tibilone and loves it and I’ve been Googling about it this morning so thank you for posting, I’m so glad I found this post xx
Hi flan
This is why I decided to rip my patch off too. I was fed up worrying if the HRT was making me worse because I didn’t feel like me anymore.
The only way to find out is to stop taking it and see how you feel
Honestly I feel the happiest I have in years. Now I know how others feel when they say they feel better in their 50,s.
I am a worrier and do worry about my bones and other health issues but we are supposed to grow old, it’s natural! Hrt won’t stop that! So why put something into your body that makes you feel worse just to protect your bones.
I am going to start looking at eating healthier with lots of calcium and vitamins and will continue to take my prescribed calcium and vitamin d.
I put a patch on two days ago just to see how I would feel and I had a weird feeling in my ovaries and went to bed feeling very anxious and panicky. I ripped it off in the morning and told myself I won’t put it on again.
I have proved to myself that it’s not for me. Yes I went thorough a very early menopause at the age of 20 and have osteopenia but I am 51 now and am ready to grow older, naturally with all the other beautiful ladies that don’t take HrT
I have very few occasions where I get a bit hot but nothing I can’t handle, I just remove my cardigan and feel fine.
I am a bit dry down below but nothing that can’t be handles with a bit of something from the chemist
Good luck with your journey xx
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That’s great to hear Mollymoo, I’m going to give it a good go and see what happens! I do feel very weak today like jelly legs but going with it, I’m hoping that it’s my body adjusting after being on the HRT for so long but we will see. Never say never but that would be my wish to stop it forever🤞early days so will keep you posted xx
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Brilliant news! if I didn't have symptoms i wouldn't take it and I'm still in the first 6 months, this gives me hope that I may not have to use it forever. Feeling good is the best thing for your health! I'm pleased for you.
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Periomenopuase are the years when we notice those sometimes difficult symptoms. Menopause is literally the last monthly period. But we don't know that until at least 12 months without any bleeds. Then the ovaries might have a party and again, there is a bleed. Scans can show the depth of the womb lining which gives a guide as to whether more investigations are required.
HRT may kick in the ovaries again. Cliniicans often aren't aware!
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Feeling good is the best thing for your health!
Isn't that the truth!
But we don't know that until at least 12 months without any bleeds. Then the ovaries might have a party and again, there is a bleed. Scans can show the depth of the womb lining which gives a guide as to whether more investigations are required.
HRT may kick in the ovaries again. Cliniicans often aren't aware!
I doubt my body would be able to do an entire pregnancy now, but hrt certainly seems to help my body do what it used to do with regards to a monthly bleed. After over a year of no bleeding I got HRT and it's not just an occasional bleed thereafter, it's every month I get PMT, a 5 day period, cramps and no bleeding in between periods. After a year they switched me from conti to sequi. They don't tell you about this, I was delighted when my periods stopped, I didn't want them back. I'd been feeling better than ever in some respects before starting HRT at age 52.
I'd felt stronger emotionally, can't explain, just less easily rattled. Physically I stopped having low iron, first time in my adult life without supplements that hurt my tummy, so I felt stronger that way.
I found the hot flushes difficult, I'd be soaked to the skin in seconds and need to go change, black cohosh helped. In fact I'm sipping a cup of black cohosh tea right now, for me it helps it stop sooner, each flush is shorter and less soaking.
Evorel50 did nothing for me at all, so taking provera was torture with no attached benefits, I stopped that after 13 weeks.
Estradot50 and utrogestan is better for me, but I'm still not sure of an overall benefit to how I feel. I'm trading off my mental health for a few less sweats and I'm stubborn enough to keep trying, but I'm really not sure HRT is for me overall.
Roll on age 54 and being allowed tibolone!
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I take hrt because life without is hardly worth living (insomnia, anxiety, no energy etc) and my view is that quality of life is one the most important factors. It'sobviously a personal decision but if evorel made me feel worse I wouldn't take it either. Given the osteopenia perhaps the ideal would be to try other types with a different progestin, there's a fair chance you'll be able to find something that protects your bones but doesn't make you feel worse.
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It isn't necessary to use HRT to protect bones and heart, We are built to exercise: good weight bearing - walking 10 mins every day can stave off osteoporosis. Good foot wear to avoid the body compensating; making sure that we stand erect from the top of the head to the toes. Something I keep 4getting to do :(. [Note To Self as well as asking DH to give my back a push when I begin to bend over!]
Skipping any1? ;D. Dance classes, pilates, yoga. Swimming for general exercise. Cycling for fresh air though UK roads really aren't safe enough, all those potholes and big lorries :o :-\
A good diet: lots of protein, fresh fruits, veg; tinned fruits, veg. Treats ;). Keep hydrated. Build a good sleep habit. On nights that sleep isn't available, read, watch TV, mediate, listen to music. Don't stress about not sleeping because the brain will go into 'will I, won't I' >:(
My grandparents walked/cycled everywhere as they didn't have cars. Dad had the car for work, we walked/cycled. Grandma lost inches as she got into her late 60s, which considering how hard she worked has always surprised me. She lived until her 80s ::)
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I think things are a bit different because OP already has osteopenia so perhaps she is more susceptible to it than the next person. I'm not at all convinced the good diet and excercise theory will make things normal again given the diagnosis. There are people on here whose bone density results have improved on hrt. Osteoporosis isn't something you'd risk getting if you can avoid it so it's a difficult decision.
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I think things are a bit different because OP already has osteopenia so perhaps she is more susceptible to it than the next person. I'm not at all convinced the good diet and excercise theory will make things normal again given the diagnosis. There are people on here whose bone density results have improved on hrt. Osteoporosis isn't something you'd risk getting if you can avoid it so it's a difficult decision.
Hi Sheila
I was diagnosed with osteopenia due to early menopause. The specialist told me that the contraceptive pill (which I was initially prescribed for early meno) had not protected my bones and that I should have been put on HRT. Since being on HRT my bone health has improved but my mental health, moods, PMT was awful and now I feel amazing.
This is why I can’t stop worrying X
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The symptoms you describe are very common on Evorel sequi and conti due to the norethisterone content. If you do ever need to use HRT again there are other progesterones which may suit you better. I hope this lessens your worry
Taz x