The fact that I am 54 and feel roughly the same as I did at 30 is reason enough for me to be an HRT lifer. It's taken me a very long time to find the right medication and get the combination of oestrogen/progesterone right but I have finally arrived and really hope I can help other women on here. If I can feel as good as this then others can too.
If someone doesn't want to take HRT for any number of reasons and they are sure they are happy with that decision then fine. The real problem that comes across loud and clear on this forum is the dreadful way in which so many women seem to suffer from life ruining symptoms, have a doctor who knows nothing about HRT and then prescribes duff medication i.e. outdated forms of HRT. Also, too many women are put on ADs etc. when they really need hormones.
Men produce sex hormones all their lives and women don't which, in my opinion, is a fault in the female make up. Oestrogen is like a control centre for so many vital functions and without it, things start to go wrong. My mother didn't have troublesome menopause symptoms but has suffered with endless problems related to oestrogen deprivation in later life. I look at old photos of my aunt who completely lost her zest for life around the menopause and her depression comes across in the photos. She ended up frail by the age of 57 and, sadly, died of a stroke which was devastating for us.
I worry for women who are not getting the right advice or treatment and from what I can see, it's not getting any better.