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[Tiamariamary]

Hi everyone. Not sure if anyone out there is in the same position as I am. I'm now 61 - I started my menopause at 49, with a year of hot flushes from HELL. They were really severe and each one made me feel sick as well as hot and sweaty (and then freezing cold afterwards). Truly horrible..... I tried all sorts of herbal/vitamin remedies during that year, to no avail. I decided against HRT at the time because I thought I could tough it out... If I had realized then that I would STILL be having hot flushes 12 years later, I might have made a different decision! The hot flushes aren't as bad as in that first year, but they are still frequent (day and night), uncomfortable and embarrassing. I feel like a sweaty mess most of the time! I haven't had an unbroken night's sleep in 12 years - I need a drink of water when I wake with a hot flush, I chuck the duvet off, fall asleep and then wake up freezing - and this is at least 4-6 times a night. Anyway, it's too late for HRT for me at 61, but just wondering if anyone out there has any advice? I'm usually an upbeat and positive person and I've been fortunate to never need anti-depressants, but I'm beginning to wonder if I might have to live with this for the rest of my life and that is not a happy thought....   

[Joaniepat]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Who says it's too late for you to start HRT at 61? If it's your GP, ask them for a referral to a menopause clinic. Maybe going privately is a possibility? There is no need for you to live like this.

JP x

[jaypo]

Hi there,an welcome to the forum,I agree with joaniepat,it's up to you if you want to start HRT and never too late.
Like you,I've never been on HRT and had a pretty rough time of it a few years back,hence joining this forum but I seemed to battle through most of it but yes,the hot flushes are still with me and summer time is a dread but by my bed I have a powerful fan and we also have an air con unit,I think I throw on and off the duvet in my sleep now.
Don't despair,speak to your GP,hopefully you have an understanding one x

[Julia Dizzy]

Hello!!  Oh my goodness there is no way should you have to put up with this horror of the dreaded hot flushes and no sleep! I persevered as you for 9 years with them 'til I'd had enough, nothing helped to make them go. Spent a fortune on "natural" remedies which were no use.

So at the age of 63 and 12 years post meno and fed up of sweating, I went to my Gp who said I was too old(!! ) but I had read up on it all, wouldn't take no for an answer and asked to be referred to my local BMI hospital NHS Menopause clinic. The British Menopause society has a list of clinics too, but you shouldn't need to go privately or pay for what is available on the NHS.

I saw a nice gynae Dr at my first clinic appt about a month later and he just said after reading referral "So you want to try HRT? Of course you can! We'll give it a go and see how you get on for 3 months." I was amazed at how easy it was!
He started me on a Conti regime of 2 pumps Estrogel and Utrogestan 100mg orally daily which is the "gold standard" for our age. (I have a womb but didn't want to have a bleed so Conti it was). I recently changed my oestrogen gel to an Estradot 50 twice weekly patch along with the Utrogestan purely for ease, but both methods are fine, with the gel being a little more flexible if you need to increase / decrease to suit.

The clinic gynae Dr gave me my first prescription there and then (no charge as over 60)  - and wrote to my Gp who then put it on repeat prescription where I have got it from ever since at no cost to me.
 
Oestrogen is the only thing that gets rid of the dreaded flushes and the current NICE guidelines say there is no upper age limit to be on HRT as long as the benefits outweigh the risks for each individual. There are other HRT preparations, patches as well as tablets, but transdermal is safer once getting a little older!!

I wish you all the very best and hope that you can get the help and support you need. Let us know what you decide and how you get on! xx

[CLKD]

  Tiamaria ....... oh! those were the days ;-)

Browse round. Good responses thus far.  MayB keep a mood/symptom/food diary to chart progress, to show your GP who awful this makes you feel.

Let us know how you get on!

[Postmeno3]

You're unlikely to meet much resistance with a decent specialist at a menopause clinic. They're kind of obliged to check any underlying conditions which might put you at risk, though the patches etc seem to bypass even most of those! I'm 68 and was started on both systemic and topical oestrogen a month ago and only had a couple of months to wait for an NHS referral. Mentioning the NICE guidelines and also Quality of Life seem to be game-changers in any dialogue! Go well prepared for your referral and good luck!

[Wrensong]

Hi and   Great advice from the other ladies & can't add much other than to say I did pretty much what you did & waited through more than a decade of the menopause from hell before finally starting HRT several years post.  It hasn't been a panacea but on the whole I've been better with than without & I'd say that if not contraindicated for you, it's definitely worth a try to see how much better you might feel.  Agree that if you meet with resistance from your GP, a menopause clinic is probably the way to go if you can either get an NHS referral or have the means to go private.  Newson Health have a good reputation & I believe they are able to offer teleconsults if outside your area.  I wish you luck with it - 12 years is far too long to feel that bad.

[sheila99]

The NICE guidelines used to say you should stop at 60 but now there is no age limit. There are people on this site on hrt in their 60s and 70s. If you would benefit from it see your gp, if you have trouble with them you can either complain about them or ask for a referral to a menopause clinic.

[Kathleen]

Hello Tiamariamary and welcome to the forum.

I agree with the other ladies, you are not too old to try HRT.

Like you I struggled on with menopause symptoms because I thought I could get through it.  Unfortunately three years after my last period my symptoms became worse and I began HRT at age 57. I continued using different regimes and even had an eighteen month break recently. As I was still struggling with mood issues I restarted HRT at age 63.

I suggest you contact a menopause clinic for expert advice. There may be an NHS clinic near you but be prepared to go private if necessary. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Take care.

K.

[shrosphirelass]

Welcome. It really is a matter of quality of life. Depending on your doctor you may need to be firm about this. As already stated it may be useful to have Nice guidelines on hand so you can quote from it and failing that insist on a referral to a NHS menopause clinic but that may invole quite a wait. Good luck.

[Taz2]

Hi Tiamariamary

Some great advice here. You are not too old to start HRT. Go for it!

Taz x 

[Tiamariamary]

Thank you lovely ladies for your support and advice!!! It was indeed my GP who suggested that HRT wasn't a good idea given my age - she sounded quite surprised when I mentioned it as a possibility. She also told me that the breast cancer risks are much higher for women over 60. Is that the case for HRT patches does anyone know? I'll try to find out about menopause clinics, so that at least I'm talking to a specialist! But thank you so much for the welcome and for the support - much appreciated!

[CLKD]

That also depends on what your GP might be reading.  Alcohol and smoking are far more dangerous and BC isn't the biggest killer in the UK though the media would have us believe it to be. 

Let us know how you get on!