Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Postmenopause => Topic started by: Eliphanty on December 18, 2025, 09:31:23 AM
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I know there are a lot of reasons why women don’t want to or can’t take HRT but there must also be a lot of women like me … oblivious!
I am relatively well-educated and very health conscious. However I was totally clueless about the impact declining estrogen has post menopause.
I’d always thought that HRT was only for helping women to get through perimenopause. Supported by the fact that it is recommended aged 45-51. That implies it is to help with the transition.
But what about after? Are we supposed to just shrivel up?! Did you know for example that the discs in our spine degenerate more quickly post menopause? I didn’t.
Why isn’t HRT taken more routinely as we continue to age given how beneficial it is for bones, heart, mood, skin, blood vessels, blood pressure, joints, muscles etc?
I feel frustrated that I wasn’t fully informed. I feel I’ve spent 4 years post menopause starting to shrivel when HRT could have helped to at least slow the process down.
How can this lack of awareness be changed? Or is it just me?
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:welcomemm: certainly it isn't U alone but unless a person has symptoms, they aren't going to be looking at what may be the causation. For any speciality.
I knew that The Change was a loss of periods and mayB a few hot flushes. I didn't know about peri menopause: those years prior to the final bleed = menopause. With associated aches and pains ; loss of oestrogen, the bodies elastic. Vaginal dryness due to the body becoming dry due to loss of oestrogen.
The body shrivels naturally. Women don't require HRT if they have a good diet, a regular exercise plan, good lifestyle which may all prevent osteopenia for example. However, flushes etc. can become overwhelming.
In the las 5 years I've had to alter my entire diet, cutting out processed foods: shop made cakes and buns, scones etc.. Because the hidden fats and sugars were making me ill i.e. gut bloating to the point of being unable to eat. I also have to keep an eye on my gait as I am beginning to lean forwards ..........
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Thank you for the welcome CLKD ;D
I understand the importance of eating well, sleeping well, exercising, reducing stress etc but non of those actually replace estrogen. I know you said we generally have to be symptomatic to look for causes but it just seems that estrogen is vital to keep our bodies functioning smoothly. I’m wondering why we can’t therefore use HRT post menopause to hold onto our health as long as possible? I’ve read that to get health benefits we would ideally have estradiol blood levels of 250pmol/l yet typical levels post menopause are less than 100pmol/l (and even much lower in some women).
So I’m confused. HRT seems to have so many positive benefits yet we seem accepting of the fact we’re drying up when we perhaps don’t need to - or at least not as soon.
It feels like nature has played a cruel trick on us women 😕
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I've never wanted to take HRT and now, for medical reasons, I can't anyway.
My peri was horrible but I improved greatly after. We all deteriorated as we get older and no amount of HRT will stop that.
To be honest, when I read posts from ladies that struggled endlessly to get their HRT right, I'm not sorry to have not tried it.
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An older friend tried to tell me once but I didn’t take any notice because I wasn’t being affected by any of the symptoms she was experiencing, I was too busy with other things in my life at the time. Fast forward to when I started to experience what my friend was saying regarding the symptoms of menopause and I didn’t hesitate to start HRT because my hot flushes were debilitating. I stayed on it for five years and came off because of all the side effects that started to creep in with annoying and anxious filled hospital visits. Fast forward much further on and no one told me about GSM (Vaginal Atrophy) which came as a complete and utter shock, no warning, no knowledge from the medical professionals and stuffed with antibiotics because it was assumed a bladder infection/cystitis. All this is now resolved by using topical oestrogen and without the hassle that systemic HRT brings with it.
You just have to read the posts on here to know that HRT can be a minefield and yes to take a pill would be great to resolve all symptoms of the menopause, but that’s impossible as menopause symptoms are far too complex and an individual phase of one's life. Ultimately symptoms of ageing is a process that HRT alone can’t resolve, a healthy lifestyle is vital to achieving a good old age.
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Nature hasn't played anything ::) although it can feel like she has. It's natural ageing, some go along not noticing ........ others R on Forums like these.
I believe that good genes can be a factor?
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Hi Eliphanty,
I also felt that there was not enough information out there about the effects of the menopause before it hit me, but in some ways I'm glad I didn't have the worry of what was coming down the line. I also think some of the symptoms are just general ageing that occur during the menopause years which get bundled under the "menopause" title. My husband has been actively fit and healthy all his life and is now starting to several "old-man" symptoms which can not be blamed on the menopause. Sadly we are not immortal and decline is natural.
I know that many women find HRT to be life-enhancing, but not everyone, and not everyone feels they need it. It is not a magic bullet. Despite it's benefits, like all medications, there are side-effects and consequences to being on it and some ladies find those to be more intolerable than the actual menopause symptoms themselves. My beef is that it is marketed by some as a simple, no-brainer medication that will guarantee symptomless living and eternal youth when it doesn't.
I do think it should be easier for women to be given the option of trying HRT (with the side effects and consequences fully explained) and see if they feel better for it. If they do then it is a positive outcome.
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I didn't know anywhere near enough about menopause except from my sister who had an early one with severe flushes and low mood. My hot flushes were manageable. I didn't know your vagina and vulva changed and when I was having discomfort with sex, I put it down to marriage problems and to some extent it was because it wasn't uncomfortable with a new man, but then the UTIs set in and then the visible changes and I feel so fed up that had I known about the treatment, I could have prevented or slowed down the deterioration. With local estrogen I found comfort again but I've wondered lately whether systemic hrt might help though I wouldn't have taken it at the time. I'm currently having an unsettled period. That sensation around the uretha that makes you feel like you're getting a UTI but you're not. I had tight tights on last night, could be the cause? I don't know what else to try? I'm using my vagifem and estriol cream. It's making me nervous of sex. Am I going to cause damage? So I agree with all of you. We didn't know enough, hrt might have some benefits, some of us don't want to use it, we can't stop the aging process and if someone had told me about all this at 40 I'd have been horrified.
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I think the basic answer to why there is so little education or awareness is because it is women.
If men routinely outlived their gonads the situation would be completely different, I'm sure.
Women's health, particularly once they have passed their perceived societal usefulness as sex objects, baby factories and units of GDP, is not considered a valuable outcome.
And if everyone eligible for hormone therapy went to their GP and requested it, the NHS would collapse, so there's a real conflict of interest in educating women about menopause care.
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I had tight tights on last night, could be the cause?
Pamela Mann do crotchless thicker denier tights for colder weather & Pretty Polly do crotchless usual denier tights called Pretty Cool.
I find the crotchlessness helps so nothing tight across the vulva area.
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Thanks. I'll have a look at those
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There is absolutely no doubt that the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks and it's not just about helping the symptoms in the first phase of the menopause like hot flushes and night sweats, it's a preventative treatment to protect against post menopause conditions like bone loss, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. There is increasing evidence that HRT prevents dementia and bowel cancer too.
For me it's a complete no brainer and I'm taking HRT for life. I consider myself very, very fortunate to have experienced early warning signs at the onset of the menopause which forced me to take HRT. I developed migraine auras which are 100% caused by low oestrogen plus I had out of control daytime sweating. Had I not had those problems I might not have taken HRT and ended up like my sister who so far has osteopenia, a frozen shoulder and carpal tunnel. She is now playing catch up and struggling to increase her bone density whereas I've got the bone density of a 35 year old despite being six years older than her. I tried to persuade her to take HRT years ago but she was ideologically against it and refused to talk about it. Now she is forced to take HRT albeit at an inadequate dose.
More and more evidence is emerging about the importance of oestrogen, testosterone and keeping FSH and LH levels low. I think all women should be encouraged to use HRT as a preventative treatment unless there is a very good reason why they can't take it. The right type and right dose of HRT hugely improves quality of life too.
It's incredibly short-sighted of the NHS not to encourage HRT use. It costs them a fortune to treat women for the many health conditions caused by oestrogen deprivation in later life ie hip replacements, osteoporosis etc.
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That might be so. But I suppose we can all give examples for either side. My mum for instance is still going at 91 with no hrt. My friend is 75 and no hrt and as fit as a fiddle and no menopause symptoms. Your sister may have had problems despite hrt. As with all medical treatment it's individual choice but it would have been good to have all the information and known the options
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I don’t think it’s “just you” at all. I was also under the impression that HRT was mainly a short-term bridge through peri and early menopause, not something with longer-term protective potential. What frustrates me is not that everyone should take HRT, but that the full picture isn’t routinely explained. We can’t make informed choices if we’re only given part of the story. Knowing the benefits and limitations would help women decide what’s right for them, rather than discovering things years later and feeling regret.
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I don’t think it’s “just you” at all. I was also under the impression that HRT was mainly a short-term bridge through peri and early menopause, not something with longer-term protective potential. What frustrates me is not that everyone should take HRT, but that the full picture isn’t routinely explained. We can’t make informed choices if we’re only given part of the story. Knowing the benefits and limitations would help women decide what’s right for them, rather than discovering things years later and feeling regret.
That's how I feel. Not that everyone should be on hrt, it's like saying everyone should be on statins or BP medication, but I agree that we should know our options. And that includes localised hrt. I was given some 7 years ago but it wasn't explained and when I expressed concern about the stated side effects, the male consultant lost his patience with me so I delayed using it for another 3 years. We had our of date info.
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In terms of health economics, it is much easier to quantify the short term costs; appointments, prescriptions, investigations (often inappropriate) for HRT related bleeding, than the longer term morbidity that occurs as a result of untreated or suboptimally treated menopause, because the symptoms are typically suffered in silence and the health consequences occur over decades and are siloed into different specialties eg cardiology for the premature CVD, orthopaedics for the broken hip, psychiatry, rheumatology, neurology, hospital admission with urinary sepsis etc.
It is difficult to conclusively say which individual might have got that disease regardless, and at what age, even if at a population level the rates of these diseases are significantly lower in women receiving hormone therapy. Patients are also blamed for their lifestyle, often without any relevant social history being elicited.
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Don't beat yourself up about it. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about many things but I was absolutely clueless about this too, as was my doctor. It took celebs talking about on TV before I worked out what the problem was with me. My parents generation didn't talk about these things so it really should be a topic in school so at least you have basic understanding of it. My daughter is fully informed having been on the receiving end of my bad temper :(
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In terms of health economics, it is much easier to quantify the short term costs; appointments, prescriptions, investigations (often inappropriate) for HRT related bleeding, than the longer term morbidity that occurs as a result of untreated or suboptimally treated menopause, because the symptoms are typically suffered in silence and the health consequences occur over decades and are siloed into different specialties eg cardiology for the premature CVD, orthopaedics for the broken hip, psychiatry, rheumatology, neurology, hospital admission with urinary sepsis etc.
It is difficult to conclusively say which individual might have got that disease regardless, and at what age, even if at a population level the rates of these diseases are significantly lower in women receiving hormone therapy. Patients are also blamed for their lifestyle, often without any relevant social history being elicited.
Reading all that I'm definitely glad I wasn't told about It. It's bad enough contemplating old age. My dad suffered some of that as he aged and he wasn't menopausal. I'm 68 and after reading your post I think I'm a lot healthier than I thought I was😄
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I can see the various reasons why women might or might not choose to take it. But it should be just that. A choice that we are given … not something we have to almost stumble across through chance.
That said I must admit I have never gone to the NHS routine health check that start at 40. I intend to go when invited from now on though.
Positively I’ve just googled it and it says:
New Additions (2025): Menopause awareness is now part of these checks to help women understand symptoms and seek help, improving uptake, say GOV.UK and www.healthcheck.nhs.uk.
So that is a very positive step in the right direction. Hopefully future generations of women will be properly informed.
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I've had my health check this year. No mention of menopause. She probably thought I was too old. It's a nurse not a doctor that does ours. Big focus on cholesterol and weight and BP. The nurse talking to me about my lifestyle was at least twice my weight! But hopefully most who carry out health checks are now including menopause.
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I think it's criminal that we don't routinely get a DEXA scan.
Breast cancer affects one in 7, we get a mammogram.
Cardiovascular disease affects one in 3, we get cholesterol, BP etc
Cervical cancer is 1 in 130, we get a smear test.
Osteoporosis affects one in two older women. Yet despite the existence a cheap and non invasive screening test, this is usually only identified when they fracture.
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From what I understand one in three are at risk of osteoporosis.
One in two are the stats for osteopenia.
Poor diet and lack of Vitamin D play a huge part in the development of both conditions, as does genetics.
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I think it's criminal that we don't routinely get a DEXA scan.
Breast cancer affects one in 7, we get a mammogram.
Cardiovascular disease affects one in 3, we get cholesterol, BP etc
Cervical cancer is 1 in 130, we get a smear test.
Osteoporosis affects one in two older women. Yet despite the existence a cheap and non invasive screening test, this is usually only identified when they fracture.
I've noticed the NHS are increasingly fobbing people off with the "you are a low risk" line. They said that to my sister when she insisted on having a DEXA scan and the doctor was irritated and sighing down the phone at her while arranging it. It turned out she obviously wasn't low risk because she's got osteopenia and she's getting lousy, inadequate treatment for it too.
All the exercise, diets, vitamins and minerals in the world will not protect you from osteopenia/osteoporosis if you are susceptible. Oestrogen at the right dose is the best option and it is far more effective and has far fewer side effects than osteoporosis medication.
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I think it's criminal that we don't routinely get a DEXA scan.
Breast cancer affects one in 7, we get a mammogram.
Cardiovascular disease affects one in 3, we get cholesterol, BP etc
Cervical cancer is 1 in 130, we get a smear test.
Osteoporosis affects one in two older women. Yet despite the existence a cheap and non invasive screening test, this is usually only identified when they fracture.
I've noticed the NHS are increasingly fobbing people off with the "you are a low risk" line. They said that to my sister when she insisted on having a DEXA scan and the doctor was irritated and sighing down the phone at her while arranging it. It turned out she obviously wasn't low risk because she's got osteopenia and she's getting lousy, inadequate treatment for it too.
All the exercise, diets, vitamins and minerals in the world will not protect you from osteopenia/osteoporosis if you are susceptible. Oestrogen at the right dose is the best option and it is far more effective and has far fewer side effects than osteoporosis medication.
Not if you have had E positive breast cancer.
Too many sweeping all inclusive replies. Sorry.
Everyone is different and HRT is not always the answer, no matter how much you may want it to be.
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Absolutely right, Aprilflower. Everyone's situation is different.
A close relative on HRT developed breast cancer in her late 70's, now no longer on HRT. Another relative in her late 50's developed severe osteoporosis due to many years of a diary free diet, she knows its her fault and is reluctantly on HRT because of it with the knowledge of breast cancer in her family.
Has Davina McCall mentioned anything about her breast cancer, I haven't read anything lately on what was the cause considering how vocal she is on all things menopause. Lets not sugar coat this, HRT is not the preventative medicine for future health in old age, you take it at your own risk.
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I agree and being honest, I feel anxious enough and am doing my best to sort out my fluctuating vaginal and vulval health and other life things so hearing that I should have been taking hrt and as I haven't I'm at risk of numerous diseases doesn't help. My GP told me some treatments in this country are precautionary and all about potential money saving down the line and not necessarily about the patient's health in the present and that in other countries they have a higher threshold for BP for instance. The bottom line is we each have a responsibility to keep ourselves healthy and we don't all need the same medical interventions.
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I agree 💯.
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So what would you do in my position if the only thing that stopped you being plagued with several migraines auras every week was HRT?
It's not a case of wishful thinking on my part or willing HRT to work, it does work.
Re breast cancer, there's no proof these women wouldn't have developed cancer without HRT.
If you personally don't want to take HRT and you are happy and comfortable with that decision then don't take it but don't scare other women off trying it.
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Agreed, but women shouldn't be scared into thinking they must take it, or suffer.
Neither position is tenable.
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For those with or concerned about breast cancer there are a range of SERMs that can be used as bone protection.
These include tamoxifen, raloxifene, bazedoxefine and tibolone.
Women have options that they just aren't being told about, and if osteoporosis was routinely screened for it could be caught early and many, many fractures prevented.
It is actually the health conscious people, the "muesli munchers" who tend to get osteoporosis like both my parents because they are thinner and live longer, and that generation of ladies tragically shunned estrogen believing they were doing the right thing.
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Look to Australia with help in preventing osteoporosis. After years of telling the population to cover themselves from head to toe to prevent skin cancer, they now find themselves with a huge rise in osteoporosis in the population. Their research will be well up to date on preventative measures.
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One in two are the stats for osteopenia.
Interestingly, its those with osteopenia that have the most fractures.
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I don't think anyone is trying to scare women from using HRT. I think the point being made is that for some women who want to try HRT, they find that it either does not work or it causes intolerable side effects and/or consequences that outweigh many of the benefits. The danger in saying that HRT categorically "works" for everyone is misleading because it doesn't. It is great that it works for many women and I think it should be more easily accessible for those who want to try it.
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My GP told me some treatments in this country are precautionary and all about potential money saving down the line and not necessarily about the patient's health in the present and that in other countries they have a higher threshold for BP for instance. . a retired nurse told me that a lot of NHS money is put into these types of 'age related' tests which could prevent problems as we age further. However, they are taking away appts for those patients that need 2 B seen because they have developed symptoms .
Until the NHS provides more medical slots throughout the system, there will be a waiting list for everything we may need to access.
Tamoxifen almost killed me. I was prescribed it as an oestrogen suppressant following histology of a 'non sinister breast lump'. This showed 'changes at the margins' apparently triggered by oestrogen. It was never seen on mammogram, I felt it whilst in the bath on 14.11.1994. Removed the following June.
Do we take pain relief if we don't experience pain :-\ ???. I've not had symptoms bad enough to even consider HRT although VA is under control with appropriate treatment.
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Just a query then related to hrt. Are there any circumstances,doses, types of hrt which would mean a doctor would tell someone they've to stop their vaginal estrogen because she'll be getting too much estrogen?
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Just a query then related to hrt. Are there any circumstances,doses, types of hrt which would mean a doctor would tell someone they've to stop their vaginal estrogen because she'll be getting too much estrogen?
Yes, ignorance.
Unfortunately this is common.
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There are women who are using both systemic and topical oestrogen. If I remember correctly the advice is if your systemic regime is working well for you but you still need topical treatment then its best to use both together.
If a GP said otherwise then that would be bad advice.
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However there is a case to be made that if the systemic dose is adequate, this should restore the health of ALL estrogen responsive tissues, as vaginal atrophy usually only occurs in the setting of very low systemic estrogen.
I personally believe that the ongoing presence of vaginal atrophy should prompt a review of the systemic dose, particularly if the treatment is indicated for osteoporosis prevention or health maintenance and especially if that woman is young or has POI.
Replacement in POI that is so low it needs to be propped up with vaginal estrogen should be a never event, as their age matched peers with healthy ovarian function don't have urogenital atrophy.
However there are women who cannot access a therapeutic dose, others who make an informed choice not to increase their dose, and some who are limited by side effects.
Therefore nobody who wishes to use vaginal estrogen in addition to systemic replacement should be denied it on the basis that it is "too much" estrogen. This is incorrect, especially given the absorption of topical vaginal estrogen is so negligible that it is considered safe in active breast cancer.
There may be some situations in which healthcare systems or insurance based plans won't fund both, but this is a cost issue not a clinical safety issue.
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Ok thanks. I will tell her. She's been told not to use it and has to wait 10 weeks for a review. A male doctor. There's no parity of understanding across the GP profession
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I would never stop topical treatment until the systemic treatment started to do its work at keeping GSM symptoms under control and that will be a wait and see scenario.
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I would never stop topical treatment until the systemic treatment started to do its work at keeping GSM symptoms under control and that will be a wait and see scenario.
It's not doing its work. Systemic HRT hasn't prevented her VA. She needs specific treatment to that area. But the GP has told her to stop the estriol cream as he says she'll be getting too much estrogen!
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This is medically incorrect and she needs to see someone else.
Whilst it is unfair having to pay, vaginal estrogen can be bought over the counter in the meantime until she finds a menopause competent prescriber.
I personally would rather (and do) pay for treatment that I can't get on the NHS rather than go without where I can afford it, particularly if I were in your friend's situation given the consequences of untreated VA.
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I thought it was incorrect too only because I know from women on this forum that use both forms. It's so difficult when we don't have a choice of GPs.
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Is it true that women cannot 'overdose' on oestrogen treatments?
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Purely just from googling and reading AI and other medical websites, they all say both can be used so where some GPs get their information from I'm not sure. I'm so relieved my GPs now prescribe what I need or I'd be suffering as I've currently had to increase the frequency of my localised estrogen to get on an evening keel.
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Is it true that women cannot 'overdose' on oestrogen treatments?
It would be extremely difficult to "overdose" with vaginal estrogen. It has negligible systemic absorption.
It is possible to end up with supra-physiological estrogen levels, which may lead to unwanted effects, using systemic products, although again very difficult as each individual patch, gel measure or tablet only contains a small amount, so the person would have to be using many times more than a standard dose.
Supra-physiological levels are sometimes seen when pellets are used.
However the amount of estrogen that healthy women produce every time they ovulate, or during pregnancy, are thousand of times greater than any hormone replacement.
Usually if the dose is too high this would be apparent clinically and could simply be reduced with no harm done.
I personally am a proponent of judiciously used blood tests as this can help identify under or overtreatment, with undertreatment being far more common.
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Are you a medical professional bombsh311?
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Purely just from googling and reading AI and other medical websites, they all say both can be used so where some GPs get their information from I'm not sure. I'm so relieved my GPs now prescribe what I need or I'd be suffering as I've currently had to increase the frequency of my localised estrogen to get on an evening keel.
Print this document out for your friend, it will become her ammunition as it did for me. I am never confronted anymore on the amount of topical treatment I use. The nurse practitioner was amazing but I had to educate my GP, who was very sweet about it all and didn't mind the extra knowledge I gave him. It shouldn't be like this but it is and if we have to put up a fight to get the appropriate treatment needed then so be it.
https://bssm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GSM-BSSM.pdf
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Purely just from googling and reading AI and other medical websites, they all say both can be used so where some GPs get their information from I'm not sure. I'm so relieved my GPs now prescribe what I need or I'd be suffering as I've currently had to increase the frequency of my localised estrogen to get on an evening keel.
Print this document out for your friend, it will become her ammunition as it did for me. I am never confronted anymore on the amount of topical treatment I use. The nurse practitioner was amazing but I had to educate my GP, who was very sweet about it all and didn't mind the extra knowledge I gave him. It shouldn't be like this but it is and if we have to put up a fight to get the appropriate treatment needed then so be it.
https://bssm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GSM-BSSM.pdf
Thankyou. I will pass it on
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:thankyou: bombsh3II - very useful.
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Are you a medical professional bombsh311?
I was asking because you speak with authority and if you're a medical professional it would help to know that the information you're giving is from medical knowledge and experience rather than just opinion. But then I understand that if you are a medical professional you probably can't say because people might then act on your advice🤷
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Purely just from googling and reading AI and other medical websites, they all say both can be used so where some GPs get their information from I'm not sure. I'm so relieved my GPs now prescribe what I need or I'd be suffering as I've currently had to increase the frequency of my localised estrogen to get on an evening keel.
Probably from the NHS edict that tells them to prescribe as little as possible. My GP hid behind this to limit va treatment to twice a week even though I was incontinent. Sorted now by sufficient systemic hrt via Newson, more than the NHS will allow me.
It really bugs me that they think it's OK for menopausal women to be in pain and incontinent. If it happened to any other group they'd bend over backwards to find a solution.
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Yes that's true. And it was female doctors I was seeing. But younger, so didn't have the experience of it. I worry I'm using too much localised stuff at present, I don't want another bleed and have to go for a hysteroscopy again, but I need to get control of symptoms
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Are you a medical professional bombsh311?
I was asking because you speak with authority and if you're a medical professional it would help to know that the information you're giving is from medical knowledge and experience rather than just opinion. But then I understand that if you are a medical professional you probably can't say because people might then act on your advice🤷
I have to say I don't care whether bombshell is a medical professional or not because the so called professional medical advice I have received over the years has been crap. On her recommendation I tried Cerazette and it's been great. After the UK Brexited, I had to stop using my extremely effective compounded progesterone (dissed by the medical professional as being close to definitely deadly) which kept my migraines away for the entire time I used it. After that, I was using transdermal progesterone gel interspersed with Cyclogest but it was messy. Bombshell mentioned Cerazette on here so I tried it and it's very, very good and I would say pretty close to the compounded progesterone.
Over the past 20 years I've consulted a neurologist, numerous gynaecologists, two hormonal migraine specialists and various doctors and not one of them had a solution for my silent migraines auras aka brainstem auras. I think that is appalling. It's not just doctors in the UK either, Spanish doctors are not great on the menopause and HRT either but the system here allows me complete autonomy over what blood tests I have (I have a tick box sheet, choose whatever blood tests I like and the results come straight back to me not via a doctor) how often I can see a gynaecologist for transvaginal scans, having mammograms and breast ultrasound, DEXA scans etc plus I have access to a wide range of HRT available from pharmacies. That's why I've been doing my own thing for years because obviously I can and thank god I have because otherwise I don't know where I would be, on the scrap heap probably.
I've spent a fortune on consultations in the UK over the years (obviously they are not covered by my private health insurance in Spain) and not one medical professional was able to properly diagnose my sub type of migraine auras and realise the importance of shutting down FSH and LH for women with migraines. They didn't even know that my particular type of migraine is caused by low oestrogen and gets worse post menopause.
Generally speaking menopause treatment is pants everywhere and that's why women come to MM for advice. Many of them are desperate, often unable to work and their lives are falling apart. I think that is dreadful. So thanks bombshell.
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Are you a medical professional bombsh311?
I was asking because you speak with authority and if you're a medical professional it would help to know that the information you're giving is from medical knowledge and experience rather than just opinion. But then I understand that if you are a medical professional you probably can't say because people might then act on your advice🤷
I have to say I don't care whether bombshell is a medical professional or not because the so called professional medical advice I have received over the years has been crap. On her recommendation I tried Cerazette and it's been great. After the UK Brexited, I had to stop using my extremely effective compounded progesterone (dissed by the medical professional as being close to definitely deadly) which kept my migraines away for the entire time I used it. After that, I was using transdermal progesterone gel interspersed with Cyclogest but it was messy. Bombshell mentioned Cerazette on here so I tried it and it's very, very good and I would say pretty close to the compounded progesterone.
Over the past 20 years I've consulted a neurologist, numerous gynaecologists, two hormonal migraine specialists and various doctors and not one of them had a solution for my silent migraines auras aka brainstem auras. I think that is appalling. It's not just doctors in the UK either, Spanish doctors are not great on the menopause and HRT either but the system here allows me complete autonomy over what blood tests I have (I have a tick box sheet, choose whatever blood tests I like and the results come straight back to me not via a doctor) how often I can see a gynaecologist for transvaginal scans, having mammograms and breast ultrasound, DEXA scans etc plus I have access to a wide range of HRT available from pharmacies. That's why I've been doing my own thing for years because obviously I can and thank god I have because otherwise I don't know where I would be, on the scrap heap probably.
I've spent a fortune on consultations in the UK over the years (obviously they are not covered by my private health insurance in Spain) and not one medical professional was able to properly diagnose my sub type of migraine auras and realise the importance of shutting down FSH and LH for women with migraines. They didn't even know that my particular type of migraine is caused by low oestrogen and gets worse post menopause.
Generally speaking menopause treatment is pants everywhere and that's why women come to MM for advice. Many of them are desperate, often unable to work and their lives are falling apart. I think that is dreadful. So thanks bombshell.
I wasn't asking for you, I was asking for myself and I wasn't being awkward. If you want to follow her advice or anybody else's, you're perfectly entitled to, just as I am entitled to ask the question when someone is speaking medically with authority. I recall someone else asking.
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You're right Jules.
I'm sure it says somewhere in the forum rules, that if you give detailed medical information, that's not personal experience, you should give links.