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[CLKD]

 

the thing to do is not to wait until nearly the end of the 'recommended' time but to have indepth discussions with all the GPs if necessary in the Practice.  You can as an emergency or temp patient register elsewhere.  Or e-mail a few Surgeries to see what their Policies are.  As we age it gets more expensive to maintain us and some Surgeries are ageist 

[honeybun]

CLKD my next nearest surgeries are 15 miles in each direction.

Hurdity I did try upping my oestrogen a good while ago with my doctors approval. It made me feel very unwell and so I cut back again.

I am giving this a go to see, if nothing else, where I am regards menopause. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Four years ago when I had gone eight months with no period if I had known then what I know now I should have waited to see if I had a bleed within the twelve months. Perhaps things would have started to improve.
I also have two fibroids that concern me as to whether I am causing them to grow.
As I said before I may well be hurrying back to my HRT in a few weeks wondering what I was thinking.

Honeyb
X

[Pennyfarthing]

Why do you have a cut off date of 60 Taz?

You might live to be 90 ... are you serious about going maybe 30 years without hormones?

I just posted on another thread that I will be put on a lower dose in a years time.  I am scared already!!   I feel so well and am very seldom ill.  HRT seems to really suit me but I did have to try several before I found one that suited me.

[honeybun]

You are very lucky PF. It's my anxiety that is the big problem for me and ADs don't suit me. Well I tried one and don't want to go down that road again.

As the HRT does not help the anxiety I wondered why I was taking it. Who knows I may be past the hot flushes.
I wish I had a magic wand that would sort us all.

Honeyb
X

[Taz2]

Why do you have a cut off date of 60 Taz?

You might live to be 90 ... are you serious about going maybe 30 years without hormones?

The menopause clinic I used to go to has 60 as their cut off date but my GP, after spelling out all the risks, will probably let me continue although 60 is also the usual cut off date there too. There has not been much research carried out as to the effects of women still taking HRT after the age of 60. I am not sure to be honest what I want to do. I don't want to go years feeling rubbish but, then again, I don't want to die early from breast cancer or (more likely) a stroke.

Taz x

[honeybun]

I wonder why different doctors have such different ideas as to how long you should take it or what age you should stop.
If I were to take HRT until I was 60 then I would be on it for 11 years. I really don't fancy that.

There should be guidelines given to the medical community so they and we knew what was the best thing to do.

After all it only effects half the population 


Honeyb
X

[Taz2]

I think the actual guidelines are that women over the age of 60 have to be informed of their risk if they continue with HRT. This is what my GP said anyway when she sat me down and gave me the facts and figures. Afterwards she said that she had carried out her "duty of care" in advising me of the possible outcome. It was all very serious.

Taz x

[honeybun]

The female GP that I normally see was very insistent that five years was long enough. The GP that is a friend could probably be persuaded to let me stay on longer but he is retiring quite soon I would think so then I would be up that creek without a paddle.
The two older nurses who were great with HRT have also retired.

Don't know where I would go to find someone who would prescribe if I get into that situation.

We have one medical facility in the town nearest me and nothing in the village. No meno clinic locally either. Nearest is 40 miles away.


Honeyb
X

[Joyce]

My meno consultant is happy for me to stay on my Estradot until I'm 60, even though I've been on it for a number of years. She told me because I started it when I was a lot younger the oestrogen will have in effect "preserved" my arteries in whatever state they were in when I started. Unfortunately no way of finding out how good they were back then though, so it's just guess work. However, I have to try & come off it again in New Year, by firstly halving my current dose and if OK come off altogether.
GPs advice varies so much though. It's no wonder we're all confused. Maybe by time my daughter is hitting menopause they will have decided on right course of action.

[Rowan]

My GP is happy to stay on low dose estrogen patch for as long I want of cause it might be because when I had my DEXA scan it was advised that

I went on HRT and that was before my partial hysterectomy on 2001.

I have read that women can safely start to take estrogen after the age of seventy if its for bones and vaginal health.

[Hurdity]

The reason GP advice varies is because they are not up to date with current thinking. Unfortunately the NICE guidelines are only just starting to be revised and this will take a couple of years ( Dr Currie posted about this on the forum).

As I said below, if any of you want to stay on HRT and there is no medical reason for you personally to stop, then you should be given it. As Taz said - as long as you are aware of the risks (as they are reported from the Women's Health Initiative Study and the Million Women Study) then it should be your decision. If you really want to stay on HRT then don't be fobbed off!!

If the doctor refuses to give it to you and tried to make you come off against your will, then make sure you get a referral to a meno clinic. I appreciate these are few and far between - my nearest one is 60 miles away but if my GP practice wasn't sympathetic I would insist on a referral. It's not far to go for a treatment to make me feel well!

Honeybun - if you get into the situation where you would like HRT and are refused then I presume you would go the 40 miles if it was going to make a huge difference? I can appreciate your dilemma at the moment - trying different things to find out what makes you feel best, but anxiety aside, the oestrogen is sure to be doing you good. Hopefully your symptoms won't return too badly too soon....

Hurdity  x

[Taz2]

Hurdity - it was my meno clinic which insisted I have to come off at 60 - as is the policy for all of their women which is why I returned to my GP for meno care.

Taz x

[honeybun]

It would be great just to take oestrogen but that's not an option unfortunately.

I feel fine up till now. Night heat is still the same not helped by the memory foam mattress topper that I bought. Heck does that thing generate heat. It's comfy though.
Onwards we go to see what happens. Better having flushes coming into the winter than through that heatwave though.

Honeyb
X

[Hurdity]

Yes oestrogen alone would be bliss!

Taz yes I do remember now you said that - sorry I'm not concentrating. It is puzzling though as usually the reverse? I wonder why the meno clinic is saying this? Usually the specialist gynaes are the ones who are more flexible and will allow individualised treatment, and up to date with all the literature and research findings. I presume if you decide you really do want to continue post 60, with your knowledge and experience you would be able to persuade or insist that you should continue - do you think?

Personally I can't face it ie stopping, as I even noticed the effects if a reduction in dose from 50 mcg to 37.5 mcg - bringing back some flushes, causing more disturbed sleep, and increased frequency of getting up (to wee!) at night. Have gone back up to 50 mcg.....

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

The menopause clinics really research the effects of using HRT after the age of 60. My specialist spent quite a while showing me the various data and statistics about the risk of stroke (not so bad on patches) and breast cancer (well known on the combined HRT). They were happy to pass me back to my GP for continuation of HRT after 60. It made me think that as specialists then they know what they are talking about. I am not sure that it is the reverse to be honest. There don't seem to have been many studies carried out on women over the age of 60.

My GP will continue to prescribe it now that I am aware of the risks and she feels she has given me a good explanation of what might happen. It is a difficult decision having lost two friends to oestrogen dependent breast cancer over the past eighteen months. One was on HRT and one had only taken it for three years and stopped two years before diagnosis. They were aged 59 and 63. The 63 year old was on HRT when diagnosed. I feel I could cope without HRT if  I didn't have to work and living on my own!!

Taz 

Taz x