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[alibeau]

Hi,

Just have a question re HRT.   I'm 46, so if I went on HRT now and then decided to come off it at say 50 or 51, would my symptoms (hot flushes mainly) all return?  If the hot flushes are caused by drops in particular hormone levels and HRT replaces them, putting aside any other benefits of taking HRT, do I still have to go through having hot flushes just at a later date as surely when I come off HRT my hormone levels drop again and I am back to square one?

Does my question make any sense at all?! I am rather sleep deprived at the moment!!! due to hot flushes!!! 

Thanks in advance.

Ali x

[Annie0710]

Extremely likely that if you stop hrt at 51 you'd get your symptoms back.  It seems it just depends on the individual if you'd have symptoms for life or if eventually they'd settle x

[Oolong65]

I was on HRT for 10 years and when I came off, the symptoms were worse. I appreciate though that everyone is different.

Depends on your stage of life. I'm retired now so can accommodate 15 hot flushes a day. I couldn't do that when I was working.

Oolong65

[Daisydot]

Why not just try it until then and make your decisions 5 years down the line things change so much and you may be very happy on it.personally if I could turn the clock back id never have stopped it.im 61 now back on it after a 5 year absence mainly due to poor advice from GPS.i had 5 years of torture off it so I'm biased id say stay on it as long as you can lol.good luck with whatever you decide x

[SueLW]

Advice has changed.  There is no time limit to HRT now.  You can stay on it indefinitely if it suits you.  Your body will perform better with oestrogen at age 75 or 80 than without it.

[alibeau]

Thank you all.....

I just wish I had been better prepared for what was in store for me......  it's never talked about...  I'm not a thicko but before I started with the peri menopause I presumed the menopause was simply when your periods stopped!!! Then when I started to suffer with symptoms I presumed I would pop to the GP who would wave their magic wand and sort it all out over night... 

Last two nights have been slightly better, I'm just coming up to 3 weeks on Clonidine.... only time will tell.

Thanks again.

Ali x

[SueLW]

Thank you all.....

I presumed the menopause was simply when your periods stopped!!!

My expectation exactly!  I had never suffered anything hormonal before until a few years before when my periods started to get heavy and painful.  The doctor did wave a magic wand, called a Mirena coil, and after the 3-4 months settling period I was back to normal and because the coil stopped my periods I assumed that was it.

How wrong could I have been!!!!

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and alibeau

At your age Clonidine is not the right treatment - your GP is quite wrong to give you an AD instead of HRT unless you have a strong family history of breast cancer or any other health problems that prevent you using hormones.
HRT is the front line treatment for menopause symptoms. You can use HRT until at least 60 with very few risks and actually coming off HRT when deeper into post menopause (so late 50s or early 60s) can be easier for many women as life can sometimes be a bit less stressful and you can concentrate on lifestyle choices more.  If you are still working full time then it's probably wise to stay with HRT till you stop working.

You are young to be oestrogen deficient so HRT would be advisable to protect you heart and bones for the long term - an AD can give side effects (weight gain, feeling numb or drowsy, dry mouth etc.) and is not easy to come off.   Nobody can tell you how long menopausal symptoms will last and for some women the symptoms never truly subside.   Quality of life is very important so don't think about when or if you ever come off HRT but think about living life to the full NOW.
WE get asked all time about what will happen when you stop HRT and at 62, having stopped HRT 2 years ago, I can say that my flushes are greatly reduced but the effects of oestrogen deficiency continue to cause problems, as they do for most women - menopause is permanent. Some mown sail through the peri meno stage to then develop all sorts of oestrogen deficiency problems in their mid 60s and beyond. Urogenital atrophy ( caused by a lack of oestrogen) can be very distressing and many of us will be using local oestrogen for the rest of our lives.   I am very grateful that I had HRT when I did as it enabled me to tackle all the stresses I had in my life at that time.

Think about the here and now - the future will take care of itself. ADs are not the right thing for you unless you have clinical depression. So I strongly advice you pop back to your GP to discuss HRT.  Femoston 1/10 is a good one to try first. 
Dg x

[alibeau]

Thank you Dancing Girl...  I appreciate your reply...

Clonidine is a blood pressure tablet and not an AD.   GP did offer an AD as well as the Clonidine but I declined...

I really am confused as to what route to take, my feeling was that the GP wanted to save HRT as a 'last line of defence'....

If the Clonidine does not stop my hot flushes my intention would be to ask for HRT, hot flushes are currently awful and I could not continue long term as I am....

My Mum who is 80 had BC in her early 60's (this is the only case of BC in the family), she was on HRT for a few years post hysterectomy at 45... She also has osteoporosis....

Struggling to get a GP appointment any time soon, Clonidine takes 2 - 4 weeks to kick in (if it works at all), I have a GP telephone appointment in early July....

So confused....

Ali x

[Dancinggirl]

Sorry, I thought Clonidine was an AD - it still has some nasty side effects though. Anyway, hrt at your age would be a good option, especially if there is osteoporosis in the family.
If you can find out if your mothers breast cancer was an oestrogen receptive form that would be good - not all breast cancers are receptive  to oestrogen and she has clearly survived so it can't have been an aggressive form of BC.
I would request a bone density scan because you are going through an early meno.
It might be worth asking for a referral to a gynae for more specialist advice.
Keep us posted. DG x

[alibeau]

Hi Dancing girl!

I do remember my Mum telling me at the time that her BC was not categorised as 'hereditary' and it was put down to HRT at the time... that's all I know without further investigation, would I need to ask my Mum to speak to her GP if I needed further info?.... luckily it was caught in the very early stages when she had a routine mammogram...

I expressed my concerns about bone density with my GP who sent me for a blood test? and also put me on a daily calcium tablet.... whatever the test was the results were 'fine'?!?!

yes, oesteo in family as my aunt and grandma on my mums side also have/had it.

I feel rather let down by my GP surgery at the moment as I do have so many aspects that I would like to discuss but can't get an appointment for over four weeks.  I have therefore booked a telephone appointment for early July but it is not with my preferred GP.  I will make a list of all my questions regardless.  Also I am due to go on holiday in three weeks time so I am planning to make an appointment for when I get back to go in for a review of everything.

I feel as though I really need to get my act together now that I have so much feedback from this site (thanks all!) so that when I do finally see my GP I will go in armed with all my questions and make sure I get answers before I leave the surgery!!!

Thanks again.

Ali x

[Dancinggirl]

Studies show that for women who have had a hysterectomy, using oestrogen only HRT will actually reduce the incidence of breast cancer!!! When your mother had her breast cancer, it was about the time when they blamed hrt for most breast cancer cases. One in six women will get breast cancer in their sixties anyway, whether on hrt or not!!

I'm afraid many GPs are not up to speed on treating menopause and prescribe Blood pressure pills or antidepressants when hrt should be the first treatment on offer.
It doesn't sound as though you at risk of BC but even if you only use hrt for 5 years now this should help protect your bones for the long term. A blood test will not diagnose bone loss, you must ask for a dexa scan.
Keep us posted.
It's good to write everything down - it really helps the appointment go better and your written stuff should be put in your records as well so there are records of what you discussed. Good luck and keep posting. DG x