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[walking the dog]

My friend who sailed through peri and is post meno symptom free has always been against my taking hrt. She thinks it has made my anxiety worse and she is convinced my gynaecology issues would be better if I was off it. A small part if me does wonder if she is right But at same time I dont think I could go back to being none stop hot 24 hours a day as it was really debilitating and got me down. Its ok for people who haven't had meno problems to give advice but they have no idea of the suffering of us with the problems.
Anyway iwondered if anyone thinks that hrt makes you worse (progesterone can ) but in general does it cause polyps anxiety etc

[babyjane]

I don't know about your HRT question wtd as I have not used it, but I am somewhat an expert on listening to, and being influenced by, the opinions of others.  I hear my mother criticising me and immediately think I have to do what they say.

NOT TRUE!

We are all different as you can see by the posts and threads on this forum.  If your friend sailed through with no problems then she has a very different experience from your own.  She could be right, she may not be right.  Either way your menopause journey will not be the same as hers and that is ok and it is her opinion and only that.  would you dye your hair purple or wear green clothes with yellow stripes because she did?

Try to be true to who you know you are and don't try to be someone else (note to myself - practice what you preach  )

[MIS71MUM]

Hi WTD

You could try without it for a couple of months but if you see a return of your symptoms I'd go straight back on it.  In my opinion, it takes quite a while to get the levels steady....you know it's taken me a while to get some consistency!!!

There seems to be some ladies who are dead against HRT, my MIL is one of them, I can only imagine she's remembering old press scares from years ago.  What I've explained to her is that things have moved on and these days your only replacing what should be there as it's so natural using bio-identical. Will PM you later - have a good day x

[Joyce]

We are all very different. My friend came off HRT 5 years ago & hasn't looked back, apart from now suffering with mild anxiety.  She is the same age as me. I've tried several times to come  off it, without success. I have reduced it to a very low dose & it suits me.

Your friend is one of the lucky ones.

My GP agreed with me, saying quality of life is very important. So for now I remain on HRT. I'm 60 by the way.

[CLKD]

I would tell your friend to button up!  ……. she can't possibly know how you feel with or without chemical support, or how you feel with or without certain foods in your diet, as she has apparently 'sailed through' then she hasn't any experience to comment.

Had I listened to my Mother telling me that I didn't need ADs, I wouldn't be sitting here now  !

[walking the dog]

My gut feeling is,to leave it as it is,and stay on it , my anxiety's not helped by It but its cured the hot flushes might sweats which is a bonus , at meno clinic July see what she thinks

[CLKD]

Think how much you have improved since starting HRT?  Make a list of what you would like to improve, to take with you to your Appt.?  One very often needs to give medication at least 4-6 months to begin to gain benefit, side effects allowing.

[babyjane]

I agree with CLKD.  I know ADs are not the same as HRT but last October I was told to give them 3 months but it was almost 6 months before I felt at ease with them and started to benefit from them.  Some people take a long time.

Same with varifocal specs, it took me 9 months to get used to my first pair! 

[CLKD]

  - I gave up on my vari-focals ……….

[babyjane]

I'm glad I stuck with it, I wouldn't go back to multiple pairs.  Hubby has never got his reading pair with him and I end up reading labels, menus, instructions, you name it when we are out and about 

[CLKD]

Yep 

[Dorothy]

I have a friend who is sailing through peri & tells me the only reason I have symptoms is because I 'expect' to have them so I imagine them into place!  She is always pushing me to stop taking 'dangerous' hormones and to use 'positive thinking' instead.  Apart from avoiding her when she gets extra-pushy, I ignore her.

If I were you, I'd  avoid discussing the subject with your friend.  Only you can know how severe your symptoms are, so only you can decide on what treatment you need for them.  If your GP is happy for you to take whatever, it's not for your friend to criticise.

[CLKD]

Friends wouldn't criticise ………. and if they did, they would be off my C.mas Card List Pronto!

[Dana]

I have a friend who is sailing through peri & tells me the only reason I have symptoms is because I 'expect' to have them so I imagine them into place!  She is always pushing me to stop taking 'dangerous' hormones and to use 'positive thinking' instead.  Apart from avoiding her when she gets extra-pushy, I ignore her.

I also had one of those "friends" Dorothy, but you can be confident in the knowledge that your friend is extremely ignorant and out of date with her "beliefs".

My "friend's" wisdom was that the hideous insomnia I was suffering would magically disappear if I just learned to meditate. We had a bit of a backwards and forwards disagreement about it, with her telling me I was wrong and being very arrogant about her opinion, and it ended with her smugly saying "You're obviously just not ready to hear the truth yet". Needless to say we are no longer friends. I know she told other people that my reaction to her was because of my irrational behaviour due to my lack of meditation, but I don't care. I can tolerate a person giving me advice based on their experiences, but when that advice comes with so much blame, judgement and ignorance, I just won't have that kind of person in my life.

True friends offer suggestions, support and compassion. They don't judge and they don't tell you that you must do certain things, just because it's what they did. Every woman needs to follow her own path when it comes to menopause. If it truly is as easy as all these non-suffering women think it is, then there would be no need for HRT at all.

[Dorothy]

Sorry you lost your 'friend' Dana - she sounds a right pest though!  My friend has been a really good friend since we were 7 & 8, so I don't want to fall out with her over menopause - it's taken enough from me without taking a good friendship too!  As long as we avoid discussing health, we get on really well, it's just that she has some really weird hangups about medical conditions (for example, you should never say someone has cancer, because saying 'that word' gives the cancer strength - instead, you should say that they have 'something that shouldn't be there' - yes, I know it's batty, but apart from that, she's really normal!!!)  I just ignore her advice on medical areas & change the subject!