Thank you all for your advice. I did have BRCA gene testing and the results were negative, which was a great relief! However, I do know there are many other gene variants that cannot be tested for currently, so I will not be a candidate for HRT. Racjen, I'm very sorry you had to suffer with bc, but I'm glad you can receive hrt for your menopausal symptoms. Being able to take hrt does seem to make life a bit easier for most women.
I am still wondering, though, if any of the women who have been prescribed an AD for menopausal anxiety have found they didn't need it after the transition? My hope is that anxiety, like hot flashes, will taper off after menopause.
I'm not sure if CBT would be helpful to me as I'm fairly sure my anxiety is a result of hormonal fluctuations. At 54, I'm still having erratic cycles. The trouble is, I can't tell if the anxiety is from estrogen falling or rising. I don't have anxiety all the time, but when I do have it, I feel like my body is in some kind of a withdrawal, similar to what I think drug withdrawal would feel like. The anxiety seems to be worse before I ovulate or attempt to ovulate. I wonder if any studies have been done on the effects of fluctuating FSH?