Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Stellajane on January 29, 2019, 03:45:14 PM
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Just came back from my routine annual doctors appointment where we discussed the osteoporosis in my family and the fact that I've been on HRT for some 10 years.
My GP pulled up my DEXA scan result (which I'd been told was fine but given no details) and said "gosh your bones are better than good". Although its impossible to say what might have happened had I not taken Oestrogen I'm so glad I chose to. I can see my mum now urging me "for heavens sake take it if offered"!
I hope this will encourage those of you who have been diagnosed with osteopaenia or osteoporosis to persevere with taking HRT.
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Hello Stellajane,
Good news! My DEXA scan results also show my bone density is above the average for my age group and I'm not on HRT. Genetics is also important.
Conolly X
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That is great news!!! AT 46 I really thought by taking HRT I would be helping to protect my bones but have been told I have osteoporosis. It means I am adament to continue with HRT and think it really will benefit me going forward......
Genetics clearly play a part..... great news for you two ladies.
x
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I wish it had been discussed with myself as well by my GP when I hit menopause age especially as my mum had it. I was saying before I think all women should be called in when they hit menopause age to discuss these things and see what proactive treatment if any would be suitable, especially if you have a condition like myself where your mobility may be compromised
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Just came back from my routine annual doctors appointment where we discussed the osteoporosis in my family and the fact that I've been on HRT for some 10 years.
My GP pulled up my DEXA scan result (which I'd been told was fine but given no details) and said "gosh your bones are better than good". Although its impossible to say what might have happened had I not taken Oestrogen I'm so glad I chose to. I can see my mum now urging me "for heavens sake take it if offered"!
I hope this will encourage those of you who have been diagnosed with osteopaenia or osteoporosis to persevere with taking HRT.
I am having a DEXA next week. I asked for it because I hadn't had one for 3 years and I am now 5 years post meno. I am only on local oestrogen now but am considering trying hrt and have a meno appt. In April. I was very surprised last week to hear that my Swedish friend hadn't heard of bone density scans. She is over 70.
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Before I had my dexa scan done I was actually told you had to have at least one fracture to have any chance of having it done, the only reason they agreed to do it was because my consultant said I was high risk due to my history of severe injuries in falls i had previously ,head and face injury being the worst one ,took me 2 years to recover from that.
My scan showed oesteopenia in spine and hips and previous mri showed my discs were bad in spine and particularly neck the consultant then said very little gaps between which was causing the compression on nerves etc.still no follow up treatment or care offered on the nhs its appalling here my vets look after my cats better than my gps look after me lol.I can't take hrt now so I'm hoping that by other means I can keep it on an acceptable level and like you say stellajane I've been offered no further scans to monitor me and no help sad state isn't it.DD😘
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It's one of the reasons I want to try and persevere with hrt.
Mum and both sisters have osteoporosis.
Ianother important factor for me is that I've had an eating disorder all my adult life. I've beaten it a few times only for it to come back. At one stage my periods stopped for 3 years and i was only in my 30s then
When I attended an eating disorder clinic there were girls in their 20's with osteo because of it
The ED clinic were going to refer me for a dexa scan about 7 years ago as it was something they were trialling with a view to automatically screeining peple with anorexia/bullimia but then my partner became ill and I stopped attending the clinic
Goodness knows what it's done to my bone density.
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TC try and push for a scan. Another lady on here who is in her 20s and had an eating disorder has osteoporosis and very little is being done to support her. I too am in my 40s (no eating disorders) and have also just been diagnosed (luckily tested due to early menopause).
I will not perservere with HRT even more (I do not like the alternative OP otions), I will up my Vit D (I have a deficiency), K2, Boron and Magensium and see if this will all help.
Tx
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T. Thank you. I will ask for a scan once I've got my hrt levels settled.
I'm not sure what they can do if it shows I've got it as I'm already on hrt. My mum and sisters aren't on hrt and take a drug for osteo which Ithink is called alenddronic acid or something like that but I'm not sure if they give that alongside hrt.
I hope the young lady you refer to will get some treatment to preserve her going forward.i wonder if she is under an ED clinic.i consider myself very lucky to have been referred as that kind of specialist treatment isn't easy to come by.
And I'm sorry to hear youre dealing with this because of early meno. That's the reason my mum and sisters have it.
Good luck with the treatments you are trying I realy hope they work for you
Tc
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TC if you can take a level of oestrogen which is approved for osteoporosis prevention I don't think they'd give you other medication as well.
Its such a shame that women with early menopause aren't routinely offered HRT as they are particularly vulnerable to developing osteoporosis.
Best of luck going forward.
I had my Dexa scan today. I mentioned to the lady doing it that I had a meno appt. soon and partly wanted to check my bone health because of that (to help me decide whether to try systemic HRT). Her response was to say that taking HRT was very controversial! I was a bit surprised given that it is supposed to aid bone health. I referred to the recent new book on the need for additional oestrogen and the criticism it makes of the WHO study. She didn't say anything.
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Go Katejo!
I hope the scan results are ok.
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Go Katejo!
I hope the scan results are ok.
Yes it was. Mild osteopenia but no medication needed. Just recommends another scan in 2 years. However I will use it to support my argument for maybe trying systemic hrt.
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I would encourage you to do that katejo. I have also taken Osteocare tablets for years along with my HRT (though I can only take half the standard dose due to the magnesium content being too much for my gut). Forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes.
I have a couple of other reasons for wanting to try systemic. one is that I have had real problems with tight muscles in my calves and aching sole of feet ever since peri. I have always suspected that it was to do with low oestrogen but a GP visit got me nowhere (some time ago).
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Hi having recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and HRT being used for its treatment, does anyone know what your estrogen levels would need to be to have any difference on OP?
Tx
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Hi having recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and HRT being used for its treatment, does anyone know what your estrogen levels would need to be to have any difference on OP?
Tx
I am osteopaenic and have been told the level should be 200-250 pmol/l to prevent osteoporosis.
JP x
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Thank you. I am 100 so increased patch from 50mg to 75mg to try and get my levels up.
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I wish I'd been told HRT is a must around menopause. I had regular dexa scans because of my autoimmune condition but nobody explained them or the risks we run around meno.
I dropped into osteopaenia in meno and mixed with low vitamin D suffered fractures.
I won't be taking any of the drugs they offer as frankly they are poison and only make bones look more dense because they make the body hold old bone.
Under or present NHS a dexa is not offered routinely, money as usual. Now you must fit a criteria to get one. Some areas do 3 yearly some 5.
But osteoporosis is a Cinderella condition just like meno as it effects mostly ladies of a certain age.