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[Patientone]

I am not able to take HRT, so I've been au-natural through peri for 4 years now.

I'm just wondering, I see so many women on various types of HRT and SO many complaining about their affects.

Symptom for symptom, I think I have fewer complaints not taking them.

Have you thought of going the natural route? 

[Dancinggirl]

Patientone
It's a very difficult question. As you are unable to use HRT (I presume for health reasons) I am delighted to hear your meno symptoms are not too severe or at least you are coping ok.
The 'Natural route' will be very different for each women but being unable to use HRT if your symptoms are bad must be very tough.
There are so many factors to consider:  Lifestyle, level of stress, the type of job you do etc.
So many women have extra stresses e.g. looking after elderly relatives, holding down a challenging job etc. If you are not getting enough sleep due to night sweats and depression sets in then HRT can be the best option. Yes, there can be side effects but again this varies from women to women. Getting the right advice and support is vital. I would say that the vast majority of women who use HRT would say that any side effects of the HRT are still preferable to the meno symptoms.
I came off HRT 6 months ago(I'm 58 now) having used it for most of the last 20 years due to early menopause.  For me it was essential to protect my heart and bones & for me HRT was the lesser of the evils. This is the second time I have come off HRT. The first time I came off HRT (aged 49) it was because there were all the scares in the press and because I was getting nasty period pains with the withdrawal bleed. I struggled on without HRT for 3 years with terrible sweats, aching joints etc. and eventually went back on - my life was very stressful at the time and it was great to get a decent nights sleep again.  The damage from being without oestrogen has left me with bad problems with my bladder due to VA!!! This time my flushes and sweats haven't been nearly so bad - I am in a calmer stage in my life now and I think this has made all the difference.  I've been able to eat well and exercise more but my joints are really getting much worse very quickly. I really don't want go back on systemic HRT (though I am using local oestrogen to help the VA & this is the only natural treatment) if my joints get any worse and the doctors advice me to go back on HRT due to osteoporosis, I wouldn't rule it out.
DG x

[Sarah2]

It depends on how you define 'natural'- it's not 'natural' for women in the 21st century to live a third of their lives without oestrogen. This is a complication in some ways to longevity which is quite recent.

It's good that you are managing your symptoms but they may become worse once you are post meno.
All of us are different. I had no symptoms during peri-meno except for a few erratic cycles for a few months- now and then- but once I had missed 4 periods in a row the symptoms kicked in. My gynae agreed that I was doing everything already to try to keep the symptoms at bay- the right diet, exercise, overall lifestyle. It didn't work!
I was one of those women who thought the menopause was a doddle and what was all the fuss about- until I got to 54 and symptoms started.

And so far I've been really good on HRT- no side effects, nothing.

I don't think there is one rule for everyone and to be honest, I don't know if anyone would take HRT if they didn't feel a real need - I think most women take it knowing that other things haven't helped.

[honeybun]

It's not perfect but I know I could not manage without it. I am a carer for a 91year old who is difficult in the extreme. My hubby does not have great health and I have had difficulties with my son being unemployed.
I just could not do what I do feeling the way I did.

I did try the natural route and it did not work at all.
I think anyone walking a mile in my shoes would prefer to do it symptom free.


Honeyb
x

[CLKD]

Menopause is natural    ……… if you are hungry, do you not eat?  If you are tired, you sleep?  If your body needs support 

If you can manage then that's wonderful, I have had VA which required treatment.  So far I haven't had to resort to other treatments as my symptoms have been vague and non-problematic (phew)

[Patientone]

You are correct, I can't take HRT because I have a hemangioma (like a raised strawberry brithmark) on my liver and HRT could cause it to grow and bleed creating a medical emergency.

I haven't ovulated since December 2012, my last period was January 2013 so I am over the 1 year mark, las blood work my FSH was 56.3. I did have a fair amount of spotting during 2013 that was due to fibroids. I have hot flashes that gt eally bad for awhile and then simmer down. Occular migraine. Dizziness. Anxiety. Heart Palps. Don't sleep well.

I worried for a long time about how I was going to deal with this time in my life without being able to take HRT to help, but, I don't have a choice.

I know here in the US many gyn and pc drs will perscribe HRT as a first line of treatment, so I do believe many women out there are on HRT not ever giving their bodies a chance to go it on it's own.

Many women I know stayed on their BC pills until through with peri .. then went off of them.

I just questioned it becauase I read so much about dreadful symptoms caused by the HRT.

[CLKD]

Like any medication the side effects can be awful! but other ladies get through with HRT and no problems.  We are so different 

[Hurdity]

Diabetes is natural, and so is disease - in that bacteria, and viruses have evolved to cause us illness. Arthritis and all other problems of ageing are also natural but we treat them because they affect our general health.

The most natural way to treat the symptoms of menopause in my view is through oestrogen replacement, just as diabetes is treated with insulin. Equally though I can understand your argument about letting it happen without intervention.

You haven't said how far you are into menopause re periods etc, and I hope you remain able to cope with your symptoms as you go through menopause and beyond.

In your position, if I couldn't take HRT,  as well as ensuring I had the best possible diet and exercise, walks in the open air, I would keep my weight within healthy BMI, limit alcohol, reduce stress, try to get lots of sleep, relaxation etc. (I try to do all these anyway!). I would also be doing lots of research into reputable alternative treatments where trials show some (even if limited) effectiveness and there are not thought to be any long term safety issues, and be looking at ways to cope with hot flushes. Well maybe you don't need to do this yet!

I didn't start HRT anyway until I was almost post-menopausal and had been through several bouts of flushes which came and went as my periods went and came back...

Hurdity x

Edit - I posted more or less at the same time so my post relates to the earlier comments - sorry to hear about your medical problem Patientone and hope my comments are still helpful. Anything that helps you relax and reduce stress sounds like it would be helpful to you.

[Taz2]

It's an interesting question Patientone.

I have had eight months without HRT and have now restarted - even though my GP and gynaecologist are totally against women of my age (60) continuing with HRT. I gave it a good try without but was failing at my job due to the miserable meno symptoms. The worst one was drenching hot sweats up to four times an hour day and night. At the end of the eight months I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was almost 10lbs lighter though and felt less bloated. If I was able to retire then I could cope but coping is not, in my view, living my life to the full.

Your condition is interesting - I have tried an internet search as I hadn't heard of it in the liver before. In this country it seems as if it doesn't preclude you from taking HRT as the results are not conclusive as to whether it will cause it to grow. It also said that women on HRT are more likely to be diagnosed with this condition than women who are not on HRT which I had never seen mentioned before!

Taz x 

[Limpy]

I just questioned it becauase I read so much about dreadful symptoms caused by the HRT.

I think the menopause causes some fairly unpleasant symptoms as well.
People don't take HRT lightly.

[Dana]

If my main meno symptom wasn't chronic and debilitating insomnia, I possibly would never have started HRT, because I could live with the hot flushes, but I couldn't live without sleep. I probably never would have been put into the position of having to research or become aware of the benefits of estradiol, so maybe, in a way, it was good that I did have to start using HRT.

However.... and it's a big however…. because of my continued issues with progesterone, recently I have been wondering just how long I will continue using HRT. I have always said that I would use estradiol for as long as I can, but faced with the dilemma of whether I also want to deal with progesterone I have to honestly say I have no idea how long I will continue to use it.

I am now probably close to 4 years post-meno, and 55 years old, so I wonder if insomnia will continue to be, or is still, a major issue for me. If insomnia becomes less of a problem, maybe I will opt to live with other symptoms and stop using HRT altogether. Or perhaps the other option is to maybe only need to take a very low dose of estradiol which could either mean I won't have to bother about the progesterone, or maybe only need to use it a couple of times a year.

It's all theory at the moment, because I'm not going to try reducing my estradiol dose until later this year anyway, but if I'm lucky perhaps I can do with a lower dose than the 50mcg patch I currently use. I will also be either reducing my working hours or retiring altogther in the next couple of years, so perhaps I will be better able to deal with the symptoms if I don't have the added stress of working.

[Taz2]

I found I could deal with the hot flushes but not the hot sweats. They seemed to affect every part of me and it was very difficult to carry on working properly through them. Maybe retired I would have felt better about it but I would still find it difficult to give five minutes every fifteen minutes to feeling so ill.

It sounds as if you have a good plan Dana.

Taz x