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[outdoor girl]

I've been reading your stories for a while now and decided that it was about time I told you mine, to find out if anyone else has been through similar.  I had a hysterectomy when I was 37, due to fibroids, and almost immediately was put onto HRT by having an implant.  I carried on with these for several years and then moved onto, in no particular order,  gel, patches and oral HRT.  When I reached about 63 my GP decided that I had been on HRT for far too long and recommended that I come off it and that's when things really went downhill.  All the awful symptoms associated with the menopause appeared, all those things which I'd read and heard about but never actually experienced.  I suffered from night sweats which meant I had to take a towel to bed with me to help me dry off, I had embarrassing hot flushes in all the wrong situations, my poor husband became the brunt of my moodiness and bad temper and I had very little patience with anyone.  I've been put on anti-depressants which have helped at the beginning of taking them, but the longer I took them the less effective they were.  Now, at very nearly 69, I'm going cold turkey and just taking whatever the menopause throws at me, but I'm hating it so much that at times I just feel like bursting into tears and locking myself away in a dark room (with the towel).  Surely the symptoms should disappear soon?

[Dotty]

Hi some ladies will always suffer with symptoms unfortunately. The advice now is that you can take hrt for life. x

[Floradora]

Hi outdoor girl. The sudden loss of hormones will be very difficult to adjust to . I suggest you go back to your GP or possible a different one and ask to be put back on HRT. Possibly a lower dose, but this will allow your body time to adjust better to the reduced hormones. And if you decide that you wish to keep taking it then you can. There is now NO arbitrary upper age limit. It may be that you have other factors that we are unaware of that increase your risk, but that is for you and the GP to discuss and assess risk v benefits at every stage of the process. No one should be coming off HRT simply because their GP thinks they have been on it long enough! I’d def go back to your GP or ask to speak to a different one at your practice. I have found lately that in general, the younger the GP , the better chance they are of being more open to continuing. Many older GPS still struggle to get past the old’lowest dose for shortest possible time’ advice that is thankfully no longer guidance x

[ATB]

Did you want to come off HRT? You don’t have to. My mum is 76 and still on it since her early 40’s and has no intention of ever going off- she tried it and had a vaginal prolapse plus symptom return. Go back to your GP. So sorry for any problems you’re having too, it’s not nice. Doctors putting women on anti depressants instead of HRT are an utter disgrace IMO.

[CLKD]

GPs are SOOOOO behind    no other condition has the proviso 'stop at X age'!  so why do GPs panic when a regime is working  ...... ignorance.  Probably.

U do not have to take what the mean pause (menopause) throws at you!  MayB keep a mood/symptom/food diary, in the mean time ring the surgery and ask for a referral to an NHS Menopause Clinic.  No way would I go back to that GP!  There may be another practice member: Nurse or GP : who is interested in womens' health, have a look on the web-site. 

Let us know how you get on.  Whilst menopause is 'natural', the symptoms thrown up can be overwhelming.  If necessary, get your husband along with you ........ medics still listen more if a man attends 

[sheila99]

The NICE guidelines used to say stop at 60 but now there is no age limit. If you want to stay on hrt it should be your choice. If your gp won't prescribe ask for a referral to a meno clinic. Transdermal is safer than oral so you may prefer a patch, gel or spray. As above, for some people the symptoms subside, for others they're life long. Unfortunately there no way of knowing which you are. ADs should be used in place of hrt.
Edit to say ADs should NOT be used in place of hrt

[outdoor girl]

Thank you ladies.  It's so nice to hear from people who understand what all this can be like.  One of the reasons the GP said I should stop HRT is because my breast tissue is very dense, so it's more difficult to see any abnormalities on a mammogram and I was willing to stop it then because of this, but the length of time was given as another reason.  I have asked several times if she will prescribe HRT again, but she's very reluctant indeed.  Unfortunately there is only one female GP in the practice, although she does put down menopause as one of her interests.  How do I find an NHYS menopause clinic please?  I didn't even know they existed.

[CLKD]

Interest without knowledge?

If HRT is so dangerous why don't GPs suggest bilateral mastectomy for those who need treatment !?!?!

Get thyself to an NHS Menopause Clinic ;-).  Your GP should be able to refer you.  Also have. a look-C at the Dr Louise Newson web-site or ask the question by e-mail: for which there is a charge: from Dr Currie, info above.

[outdoor girl]

It's taken a while, but I've spoken, at some length, with my GP.  She has admitted that my problems are outside her experience level and asked if I would like to be referred to a menopause clinic.  I was able to say that I'd been on this forum, which she recommended to me in the first place, and that a clinic was what you lovely lot had told me I needed.  So now I wait again.  I spoke to her last week and I suppose that I'll need to wait until after the bank holiday before I start to chase up the referral.  I accept that it may be ages before I get an appointment, but at least I'm on the way.  Oh another thing she just dropped into the conversation is that she's retiring  so I'll need to talk to a different doctor about my problems.  Great!!!  Thanks again for the advice and I'll keep you up to date as to progress.