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[GypsyRoseLee]

Totally agree with Hurdity and Dana.

For me, I would always choose the hypothetical rollercoaster of 'Is it/isn't safe' over my very real rollercoaster of awful anxiety/low mood.

There are women for whom menopause is just a tedious inconvenience. But there are also women for whom menopause is a devastating, life changing event. For these women (like me) then hormonal help is a God send.

Millions of women merrily pop the BCP every day for decades. Far stronger hormones in that than HRT and no 'need' to use BCP as plenty of other good 'natural' contraception around. But no one bats an eyelid at so many women taking the BCP.

[CLKD]

BCP had it's commentators though - again, how dare a woman take control of the number of babies she has and to use a drug which might be dangerous to health.  Then along came Thalodomide (sp) 

I'm watching out for That Bus today 

[dahliagirl]

I think it is a 'Labours of Eve' thing.  Women were meant to suffer.  I used to think it was a religious thing but it seems to be a thing that is bound deep in our society.  We have thrown away the religious aspect, but we still have people who strongly think that you should not 'go against nature' 

It used to be pain relief in childbirth, now it is 'too posh to push'.  Contraception was wrong, the pill was wrong.  The pill caused cancer when I first took it and you needed full internals - now it is proven to reduce cancer of the womb and ovaries.  Anything that releases women from slavery to their biology is 'wrong'.    Sometimes it is an uphill task to do what is right for yourself.

[CLKD]

   Hurdity.  Like studies throughout history, only time will tell! 

[Briony]

Thank you Dana and Hurdity for those posts. Every time I read threads like this, that little nagging doubt deep in my mind is awakened and I start to feel anxious.
- I know there are risks, and like Prajna says, still believe that there's much more we're not aware of (see my recent post regarding costs of the BCP and why women are given the cheap one with the worst side effects) ... but what alternative do I, and the many others in our situation, have? Lose our careers/partners/sanity/quality of life? Let our bone density levels continue to drop?   I desperately want to be a mum (even if it's not a biological one) but before I took the pill/HRT, I wasn't able to be considered due to lack of symptom control. At least the pill has, ironically, given my partner and I the chance of becoming parents. It's a risk I am willing to take.

[CLKD]

Quality, quality, quality 

[katiep1959]

Well after being taken off it because of my heart disease and suffering for the last 18 months I am going back to my GP on Friday. I can't stand it any more the quality of my life is being affected and my son is getting married next year and I do not want to be dripping wet for the whole day I wish they could prescribe bio identical HRT though!

[CLKD]

I think that bio identical is available  ……… have a look at Hurdity's previous posts!

[Briony]

Blimey - call me naive, but I had no idea people take HRT without even having symptoms.   

[dahliagirl]

I suspect that some of the answers are just flippant although the one about excess being washed away is worrying.

[Winterose]

Yes Bio identical available on NHS .  Study was funded by Pfizer so no doubt they took women off the study who may have skewed the results as they did with statins so only healthiest were used but then thats 80 healthy women who were ok at end of study . Alcohol is probably far more dangerous for women and on "Trust me I  am a doctor"  they said 1 large glass per day raises your chance of breast cancer by 10 percent, yes you read that right, 2 large glasses 20 %  and so on .  That came from a Cancer specialist. So ladies that really puts HRT in perspective. 

[katiep1959]

Does anyone know the names of bio identical so I can be armed and ready

[honeybun]

Most of the oestrogens be they patch or pills are bio identical,

The progesterone that is bio identical is Utrogestan.

If you have a look at the drop down menus all the info is there.


Honeybun
X

[Dana]

I think it is a 'Labours of Eve' thing.  Women were meant to suffer.  I used to think it was a religious thing but it seems to be a thing that is bound deep in our society.  We have thrown away the religious aspect, but we still have people who strongly think that you should not 'go against nature' 

I totally agree with you. There are so many people (including women) out there who think that menopause is a "natural" process and we shouldn't tinker with it by using hormones. Well they're men who never have to go through it anyway, and women who probably never suffered anything more than just a slightly damp upper lip.

However, if we're not supposed to "go against nature" would all these people be prepared to still have to contend with smallpox, untreated cancers and diseases etc. I suspect not. They're hypocrites because they're not prepared to follow that "don't go against nature" mantra to its obvious conclusion. It all gets back to "women have no right to feel good about themselves".

Also, it's all very well to be cynical and conspiratorial about "Big Pharma", but where exactly would we be without it? Do you think the compounding or the alternative medication industries are any better – the answer is a big fat NO!! There is a lot of underhanded stuff going on there too – simply because money is involved.

Sure I agree that when money and profit is involved things can get very muddy, but is it really that surprising to be told that pharma companies are about making money. What business isn't? They aren't a charity, and no one expects them to be.

Frankly I'm quite happy to accept the downside to "Big Pharma" as long as I can still have my hormones, and any other medication I may need as I get older. If other people want to be so down on pharma companies, fine, but don't accept any of the medications they produce if they are so terrible.

[grumpyjane]

There are so many people (including women) out there who think that menopause is a "natural" process and we shouldn't tinker with it by using hormones. Well they're men who never have to go through it anyway, and women who probably never suffered anything more than just a slightly damp upper lip.

well, I was - am - like many of those people in thinking menopause is a natural process that shouldn´t be tinkered with. And probably I´m a victim of the negative press HRT has had. So, I´ve never been to my doctor about my symptoms. I suffer hot flushes, clumsiness, tearfullness, irritability and sleepless nights, I used to get up in the morning and you wouldn´t even know I had been in the bed - the covers never moved I slept so peacefully. Now that´s a distant dream ha ha. Also more recently loss of libido and vaginal atrophy - not nice for OH.
I´m now 58 and started menopause at 49. Never thought it would last so long, and now I know it may never end.  Only recently found this site and am thinking I must do something about my quality of life. Slightly challenging as I´m living abroad with no access to NHS. Still, if I´ve coped with these symptoms for so long surely I can do this!
Jane