I am 50, have been peri for a few years and am not on HRT. Up until recently I was adamnant I would not take hrt due to having tried it and various pills for period problems years ago which sent me over the edge. I eat healthily, exercise 3/4 times a week, try and not allow myself to get overstressed about life - not easy sometimes!! However, having been on this site for the last couple of years and reading all the posts, I have come to realise that the time may come when I have to give hrt a go. For me it will be a massive challenge - my quality of life and even life itself could be more compromised by hrt (I used to get suicidal with the extreme swings in hormone balance even with pill/hrt) whereas for the last few years I have been more settled. But I may have to consider the current quality or not of my life and which gives me the best outlook as other symptoms of Menopause kick in more severely. I appreciate hearing all views for and against. For some it is an easy choice - may be you are lucky in that. For others it is just not so straight forward.