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[jaypo]

Haha,nice one Tora, I agree whole heartedly with what you said,even though I'm not on HRT , I do realise that some women would not have managed without it,symptoms just too tough but this forum is for women to have a voice,regardless on their view point or their topic. As I always say to women joining here,ask anything you want,there are no taboos

[Tora]

Morning Jaypo, I totally agree. I don’t like the cards we are dealt so it’s imperative that support exists here whilst respecting opinions/choices that differ to our own.

[Sheri]

I'm very glad i came on here as deciding whether to start HRT was a difficult choice for me. My nurse is very anti HRT as both her sisters had breast cancer & she's convinced it was due to HRT. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't
I do feel people advocate HRT on here but not in a negative way. More a please try it if its something you want to do as it COULD make your life better...& so far it has.
I think its a very subjective matter & there are some women who don't want to go on HRT or can't for whatever reason.
I've gone through some very old posts on here & i personally never found any pushy behaviour, just facts.
I think women should do what they feel is right for them, seek out the facts & the truths & go from there.
I think if i came on here & said i need help but don't want to start HRT, i think i would still get encouragement to find another solution to help ease my symptoms. But that's just how i feel. Maybe I'm biased because you've all been kind & welcoming to me.

[Marchlove]

Ah, thank you Sheri for your lovely post to us all.
Yes, at the end of the day that’s what we all want, to help each, offer suggestions and support.
I’m so pleased you’ve started to feel some benefit. xx

[Dandelion]

The average age of death used to be significantly lower and the average age of menopause much higher, 58. So we didn’t live long after our hormones dropped, just a few years. Through modern medicine and lifestyle changes we live much longer and go through menopause much younger so ‘nature’ actually didn’t intend for us to live long on reduced hormones. Of course many women don’t suffer poor health without HRT. But it’s about risk and statistics and then you make up your own mind what you want to do. There really doesn’t need to be any HRT-bashing or any pressure to go on it either.

I take it, the flushes used to be really bad for me, thankfully they have calmed down a lot.

[ATB]

Thank you Sheri for such a great balanced post and I’m so pleased to see your own news this morning, couldn’t be happier for you. If it wasn’t for this forum and Davina’s first programme I might not have gone private to get HRT and I’d still be miserable and feeling awful every single day, like I had for 7 years trying to ‘do it naturally’. I’m very grateful for this space.

[JoJo42]

For me HRT was the ONLY thing. I desperately didn’t want to take any medications or Hrt, but unfortunately an extreme perimenopause created severe physical problems that needed treatment and forced me down a road i didn’t want to go down. I held off hrt for a couple of years, determined to manage without it, but symptoms became so extreme that “informed choice” was not even an option for me and any element of “choice” was totally removed as I was desperate, sleep deprived, ill, in agony, and could no longer function normally. I developed joint pains that severely affected my mobility, night sweats that were so severe I had to change my bedding during the night - shocking sweats, followed by uncontrollable shivering. I started with painful stomach cramps, constipation and IBS. I had extreme hot flushes that made me have to run out of places into the fresh air to be able to cool down and breathe and sometimes they were so bad I actually passed out.  I also had something i think is called formication that is described as a sensation of insects crawling on the skin…whereas in reality it was more like standing in a beehive and was actually painful. I have tried to come off HrTat times, but have since developed Vaginal Atrophy which cannot be controlled by local oestrogen only. I have had two severe flare ups recently where I was doubled-up in agony and felt like I had a roll of barbed wire in my bladder, running to the toilet every half an hour to oass 100ml of wee. It was not a UTI but it certainly felt like one, but only responded to vagifem reloading. I know all my physical symptoms noted here (and many others nit mentioned) are meno related as HrT eased or removed all the symptoms completely. I had issues with hrt when my usual product was not available and I was forced to change. I’m back on my usual patch and am doing well…for now  I know I’m not the only woman on here who has suffered such an extreme menopause and “forced” onto hrt because symptoms have been off the scale. Mine got to a point that they were so bad I felt like would not be able to live like that. I worry about any talk of there being alternative “natural” ways to treat meno….I agree - there are…but they do not work for everyone. I’ve spent a fortune in the past trying them all. I think I just wanted to say that for some women - hrt (“manufactured hormones”) IS the only option and IS a lifesaver - quite literally, and is not a “choice”,  please remember that.

[Dotty]

JoJo42 and poppy toast….this was me too.

JoJo…..you’ve written exactly what I wanted to write but couldn’t find the words. Thank you.

This forum was my saviour and I have stayed to help others.

I’ve never read any posts that criticise anyone for opting not to take HRT.  I’ve found everyone to be helpful and supportive.

And I never even considered taking HRT for heart disease, dementia or osteoporosis. These were the least of my worries. I take HRT because my symptoms were so horrendous. xxx

[Winterose]

I’ve taken Hrt for 15 years and it’s a saviour for me too but never sensed any pressures for or against .
Heart disease is biggest killer of women so anything that might reduce that is a godsend . There will be lots of women not taking it and not on this forum as they have ‘ sailed’ through menopause .

[Aprilflower]

Dementia is actually the leading cause of death.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/articles/leadingcausesofdeathuk/2001to2018

[ATB]

Globally it’s heart disease. In the uk for females it’s dementia and Alzheimer’s and males I think it’s still heart disease but likely will be dementia soon. It’s semantics anyway, it’s *a* leading and significant cause of death for both men and women in any developed country.

[Tora]

Thanks Jojo42. I was the same. I VERY much relate to not having a choice.
Dotty, thank you for sharing, when I found this forum reading your journey gave me strength.
Poppy, I was prescribed and became dependent on opiate meds too.
Winterose, totally agree.
ATB - 7 years is a tragic disgrace.

Informed choice/education needs to start in school.

I wish I’d found you all at the beginning but I’m so glad I have now.

[Aprilflower]

Found this but only skimmed through it.

https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/research/establishing-the-risk-related-to-hormone-replacement-therapy-and-cardiovascular-disease-in-women

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

When I first joined this forum it had been three years since my last period and although I was coping with the symptoms I was beginning to struggle. Then, as now there were ladies who were taking HRT and others who were managing without it. I never felt that HRT was the only route to a happy and healthy life.

I know  women who don't use HRT but when I hear them complain about their health I wonder if a little replacement oestrogen would solve their problems, for example a friend has developed tinnitus and I believe that can resolve with HRT. Perhaps it all comes down to how bearable the meno symptoms are and how much they impact your life.

My ongoing symptoms are the emotional ones however sometimes I think I would trade the crying spells for  muscle aches or swap the jitters for a headache so the decision to try HRT may all come down to personal circumstances and tolerance levels.

I have always found this forum very supportive of all women regardless of their opinions on HRT and I am sure that will continue. We are all trying to get through this the best way we can and a problem shared as a problem halved!

Wishing you all well ladies.

K.