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[jedigirl]

After reading opinions on a different website I wondered what you lovely ladies had to say on this? Does HRT just delay menopause? Has anyone come through menopause on HRT without all the symptoms returning when they came off it?

[milly]

Well this is definitely true for me. I was on patches for 5 years, taken off and now 2 years later I am suffering again.

I have friends who will agree with this as well.

My GP says I should just carry on now, but am seeing her again on Thursday and will be more forceful.

[toffeecushion]

I haven't had first hand experience,  but my mum suffered with terrible flushes when she tried to stop.

[Dancinggirl]

It's going to be different for every women.  Yes symptoms may well return when you come off HRT but how quickly they settle down will vary.  I think some find the symptoms are not as bad as they may have started taking HRT in the peri stage which may have been their more challenging time. I do think it will also depend on where you are in your life.  Many of us use HRT because it enables us to continue working and supporting elderly relatives etc. If you then stop the HRT during a calmer stage in our lives then you have more time to concentrate on getting enough rest and adjusting to the changes.
I took a 3 years break from HRT from the of 49 and life was rally stressful with teenage children and money problems so I really struggled. My GP recommended a break from HRT in the autumn of 2013 and I didn't find it so bad as I was able to cut down on work and pace myself more.  I have still gone back on HRT because the lack of sleep was really getting me down and the VA and bladder problems had increased. Using HRT can help to reduce the onset of VA and bladder problems.
DG x

[bramble]

I stopped taking HRT very slowly and my symptoms did not reappear. It took a few weeks to get back into a sleep pattern and I had the very odd hot flush but that was it. My friend has just stopped HRT abruptly and she is awash with flushes and night sweats and panic attacks.
Bramble

[GeordieGirl]

I haven't yet taken HRT but didn't actually realise I had been through the menopause - possibly due to a Mirena coil? I've had the coil in for 8 years so the doctor reckons it hasn't been releasing any hormones for the last couple, but I'm not so sure. I've had none of the really bad symptoms of menopause - no flushes, joint or bladder issues, moods or anxiety, although I have been suffering from insomnia, forgetfulness and thinning hair so haven't got away scot free I  guess.   I work for myself and need to be alert so am intending to go onto HRT in a few weeks time, but I'm hoping that haven't got to this point without the hormones, the flushes etc won't come back and bite me later.

Here's hoping!
GG x

[Winterose]

  I have heard of  ladies who have never taken HRT that their menopause went on for years - one friend at 73 still has hot flushes though not as bad as they were in fifties,  they were never debilitating enough to seek help but they still occur so  it doesnt delay it , its just our bodies all react differently .  What I would like to know is for the ladies who have very few or short term symptoms : do they have more estrogen to start with or less so either way when it drops it doesnt affect them so much? 

[peegeetip]

Hi GeordieGirl

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/postmeno.php

please ensure to have this list with you when you goto docs.

There seem to be a lot of ladies that get put on HRT that will bring your periods back.

You don't have to do this and doc should prescribe from the list above.

Hope that helps.

For the question, HRT does not delay menopause.
HRT relieves the symptoms and long term chronic issues that can occur as long as you take it.
I agree with Winterose and so do recent long terms studies into menopause symptoms and their long durations.
For most of us, Menopause is a rest of life condition that won't go away or get better unfortunately.
Some fly through with little or no fuss but even from stats on the NHS website these are in the small minority 
There are also others who would say they are flying through but are just suffering in silence and often ignorance (I was in that state prior to understanding and then starting HRT).
So numbers could actually be worse than reported

Hope that helps answers your question.

 

[Dancinggirl]

GeordieGirl - the Mirena wouldn't have prevented the meno symptoms as it only gives off progesterone and it is usually the lack of oestrogen that causes meno symptoms.  You may simply have been lucky and not had the common peri meno symptoms.  Whether you choose to take HRT or not is a very personal thing - it doesn't suit everyone and may not solve all your problems -  I'd do your research and decide what is your best option. Poor sleep often comes as we get older and sleep disturbance with menopause is often as a result of night sweats etc. If you work from home you may need to build some exercise into your day and set a routine in the evening so your mind switches off e.g don't use your mobile or computer for a couple of hours before bed etc.
If you are not suffering with flushes and night sweats now then I suspect HRT wouldn't necessarily make these happen later.  Some women don't get meno symptoms until their periods have stopped for a while as your hormones don't bottom out for up to 2 years into post meno. 
If you do use a sequential HRT, which may be advisable at your age, then the monthly bleed is not a period but simply a withdrawal bleed to protect your uterus. You can move to a continuous, no bleed, HRT after a while if it suits you.  Dg x

[peegeetip]

Hi DG

if GeordieGirl is already 1 year without a period then she would be best to move to the Conti options in link (even with her age).

There is no benefit or requirement to going back to having periods unless someone really wants to

The Conti option is actually safer in the long term for our endometrium.

In my own opinion the sequi option I was given for periods 9/10/11 months apart and might have been enough to put some people off.

How easily we forget the normal "flow" of things

 

[BrightLight]

Interesting question.  Logic suggests to me that the HRT keep hormones levels balanced while 'natural' hormones continue to decline and cycles end, followed by a levelling off.  If the HRT is stopped before that process is complete I guess symptoms would return or symptoms appear to 'return' but are actually just a withdrawal from the HRT hormones.  I guess a wait would be needed to see which scenario it was (?)

Saying all this, logic doesn't always seem to follow hormone activity

[GeordieGirl]

Thanks for the suggestions - I've an appointment with Gynae doc in a couple of weeks so a little time in the interim to get informed (or further confused??).  The issue is I really don't know when the menopause crept in as I haven't had any periods since 2006 when I had the Mirena fitted - I guess the menopause could have been any time since then although the sleeplessness etc really only started creeping in around spring last year so that may be a clue?   

Do FSH levels give an indicator of how far into post menopause you are? Mine were apparently conclusive according to the doctor.  I really would prefer not to have periods again if I can get away with it.

I've tried everything for the insomnia to no avail - even a week of heavy skiing didn't help, I was still wide awake at 3am :-(   I'd give anything for an unbroken sleep .....and to be able  to remember it too, along with where I've put the keys / phone / kids :-)

GG x

[peegeetip]

Hi GeordieGirl

a lot of us have sleep problems and in the main most of us get relief with sleep on HRT.

Hope your appt goes well. Beware the "go away and think about it" doc tact, if your uptil 3am even after skiing then there is a problem.

 

Hi Brightlight

thats the failed logic a lot of docs adhere to. "Just wait, see and get on with it" 

However many years in lots of ladies are still getting symptoms.
If some are willing to wait years or decades for things to "level off" then thats up to others personal choices.

The menopause is an ongoing process and decline will continue for many years for the majority of us. Lack of hormones can have lots of effects well into our older days 

Btw Brightlight, have you decided to try any HRT yet?

Hope you are feeling well in the meantime.

 

[BrightLight]

Peegeetip I didn't mean wait for ever just a few months. I presume if the body was able to cope on its own it would become clear in that time and similarly if it was HRT withdrawal that might settle too.

I haven't made any decision on HRT at the moment, everything was a bit overwhelming and too much info, there is no rush and I'm not having major symptoms as yet, so I'm 'watchful waiting'

As you say, hormones continue to cycle and I am noticing this, I am having a sense of periods with no period but its subtle and I do believe my body has got the message about things not needing to carry on in the same way!

GeordieGirl I have had conflicting information about FSH levels indicating the stage of menopause, levels do go up and down in premenopause and as high as postmenopausal levels as per the GP 'guides'. Mine says I am in it, passed peri.  I am having a second blood test in a few weeks but I tend to agree with my GP that it looks like my levels must have been climbing and not dipping up and down, indicating the body has stopped ovulating. None of that info necessarily changes the fact hormonal decline can still be a 'problem' but I do think it means you might expect things to begin and continue to level off. Post and not pre is a different, less 'wild' time, so I hear. It's very confusing to be honest.

I still suggest biding a bit of time if you want to, there's enough to take in with the news. I'm thinking nothing will fall off, disappear or decline within a couple of months but I could be wrong. I guess leaving HRT for a while might make it a bit of a shock if you do add the hormones back in. I don't think it's easy to know anything actually I am probably not much help with your confusion.

[SueRoe]

GeordieGirl, I found that HRT has made a huge difference to mental fogginess - I no longer forget what I've gone upstairs for or lose my train of thought, and can sit and concentrate on a book. I think this for me has been the most consistent improvement. Sleep improvement is erratic but overall better, though I suspect reliably unbroken sleep like we had in out twenties and thirties (children allowing) is a thing of the past for many of us - our bodies just don't seem to work like that in our forties and fifties unfortunately. If your lifestyle allows, an afternoon snooze has been shown to be very helpful...