Hormone replacement HRT

[fayray]

Is it safe to be on hrt long term

[kikiweight]

How long? I don’t know for sure but I went on HRT recently and my doctor said that prior research on the apparent cancer connections was outdated etc. I haven’t been on HRT long to consider this issue fully, but I do recall her saying that fwiw.

[Fola in reply to kikiweight]

On HRT for 3 years now. No intention of stopping anytime soon. According to research it’s safer for people under 60.

[Hidden]

I’m 76! Had a hysterectomy at 40 and went on HRT for the next 22 years. Wonderful stuff Di

[Tyna20]

I was on HRT for 25 years until I was abruptly taken off last October due to a heart condition. I’ve been suffering with hot flushes ever since. I hate being off it . If I had my way I would take it for ever.

[Hidden in reply to Tyna20]

Snap

[Starfish123 in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

I had to stop mine temporarily while awaiting biopsies and results. Obviously I was bombarded with hot flushes but I did realise the trigger for me was sugar of all sorts, eg milk, fruit and even lettuce. Avoiding anything with sugar natural or artificial helped me avoid a few hot flushes, maybe a trigger for you also?

[magsyh]

It depends what type of hrt you are on? I have been using bio identical progesterone for 15 years on and off and now I have started pregnenolone and considering low dose DHEA. I would never touch estrogen or the chemical pill form progesterone given by GPS and I would never do it blind. I get regular blood tests and keep track of my hormone levels and adjust if needed. I've never had a hot flush or any menopausal symptoms I'm now 62.

[fayray in reply to magsyh]

I’m just coming off dhea it’s caused acne and hair loss which I’ve never had before so bio identical what’s the best way to find out more pls

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to fayray]

Private appointment with a bioidentical hormone specialist

[magsyh in reply to fayray]

I did make an appointment with a hormone specialist but cancelled after I got advice that I was wasting my time and money. I think testing is what is important. You must get all your hormones tested first before you start using any. Pregnenolone seems to be the safest but like thyroid hormone you must start low and slow and test until you get it right. My dhea is rock bottom so I'm not going higher than 5mg. Hormones are a very individual thing so I think regular testing is very important.

[Angel_of_the_North]

It depends. I have been on bioidentical HRT for a decade. I'm not dead.

[fayray in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Did you go to London for your consultation most clinics seem to be down south as always

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to fayray]

Yes. But because of CV19 most seem to be online right now. It's an 8 hour round trip but worth it

[Loza73]

I've been on hrt for 3 years, I have no intention of ever coming off it!

[Starfish123]

I believe Joan Collins has been on hrt for many years and has no intention of coming off it.

[janiebell]

I’ve just swapped from Bio identical hrt to body identical. My consultant who prescribed the bio identicals retired so it made me look in to it more and shop around. I have a brilliant gp who trained with Marion Gluck and she has steered me towards body identical hrt which is available on the nhs. The gp Louise Newson aka the menopause doctor has a very informative website and all the latest thinking on hrt. Having said all that my gp is very straight talking when it comes to risk. No hrt is risk free and actually there is no evidence to suggest bio identicals are safer than body identicals. Bio identicals are extremely expensive and it has been suggested to me that there is a bit of a racket going on. My hot flushes were really awful and hrt has definitely improved them although not 100% unfortunately. We are all individual with different risk factors so its worth talking to someone like Louise Newson and working out yours. She advocates hrt for life in the right circumstances.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to janiebell]

She obviously totally disagrees with Marion Gluck on biohrt, though. So I suppose she left the Clinic because of that.

[janiebell in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

No, she thinks the compounding pharmacies do a good job unlike a lot of gps who really fear them. She just feels more comfortable going with regulated body identicals. I was always told by the compounding pharmacy igot my biest from that the estradiol was much stronger in body identicals and more dangerous but this is untrue. I was on a biest lozenge with the ‘ safer’ estriol and also estradiol but after doing some research discovered there are no large trials etc to prove estriol is a safer option plus the body doesnt assimilate it as well either.

The jury really is still out for me and i may well go back to bio identicals but they are so expensive! I can honestly say the compounding pharmacy scared me by saying bioidenticals are much safer but they are not and one is free and one is not 🤔

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to janiebell]

The only people I know on regular HRT were given levels of oestrogen 5 or more times higher than mine and told it was a low dose - a friend went up 3 cup sizes after starting HRT. Mine is both oestriol and oestradiol (as yours was), but mostly oestradiol.

[Hidden in reply to janiebell]

Aren´t bio-identical and body identical HRT the same thing...?

[janiebell in reply to Hidden]

Essentially they are the same but only body identicals are regulated. The thinking by BMA is that you cant be sure if a compounding pharmacy who make bioidenticals are actually delivering correct amounts of hormones but my experience over 5 years is that the bioidenticals always seemed to do the job. I’m trying out the body identical estrodial in gel form to see how i get on with it ( and free on nhs) but may well go back to bioidenticals. The progesterone (as long as its body identical) is the same as they gave me at bioidentical clinic.

menopausedoctor.co.uk/menop...

[Hidden]

Interesting and also a bit of scary reading.

I have been reading a lot about estrogen dominance lately, since I used an online calculator and found out my E/P ratio (on bio-identical HRT) was too low; thus, indicative of estrogen dominance which of course does not mean out of range E, just too much E relative to P. P levels drop much more quickly and dramatically than E levels, starting already in our mid-30s.

However, in other forums, the claim is that you are only E dominant between ages 35 and 45; then, your E levels drop as well and you need estrogen as you approach menopause.

I´m personally not wholly convinced of this, especially since estrogen is present in everything these days - plastic, beauty care products, cosmetics, you name it...impossible to avoid. So, I wonder if it´s not possible to be E dominant even in your 50s and beyond.......? E dominance could certainly explain some of my current symptoms such as borderline diabetes 2, high blood pressure, weight gain, especially belly fat, and difficulty losing weight.

Plus, estrogen is produced in fat tissue so unless you are very underweight you will be making some even post-meno.

Some say you can get rid of hot flushes using P only, provided you use enough. That would be a wonderful thing...!

[Angel_of_the_North]

That's rotten for you. A young friend of mine has recently had a hysterectomy for a huge fibroid (larger than a grapefuit, she said). I had a diagnosis of DCIS (which might or might not be breast cancer) before I started biohrt. Ten years later, I have noticed no breast changes and I'm not dead - which is good enough for me - but I suspect that the oestrogen amounts in biohrt are much lower than in traditional HRT. My thyroid problems (which are really pituitary problems) started when I was in my mid 30s, so not really related to menopause. I tend to keep away from doctors as much as possible.

[Hidden]

Thanks for the tip! I did try A. Vogel´s Menosan (with sage) for a couple of months before going on HRT but was not impressed. Maybe it´s not not strong enough.

[Batty1]

I had hysterectomy in 2004 and have been on it ever since. Past year Ive been taking it randomly its been causing me to have breast soreness from time to time that I assume was too much estrogen In my body.

[posthinking01]

I can only speak for myself - but having had a hysterectomy in 1983 at the age of 33 - they left the ovaries in - but I aged overnight and was so ill - didn't know I had a thyroid/adrenal problem as well - that came down the line many years later - I had a fight to get on HRT in those days - but until last year I was on it from 1983 until 2019 - 36 years - my bones are like an elephants - I felt amazing on it - and at 71 I am told I look 50 - unknown to me then it was also stimulating lazy adrenals so I had more energy than I had ever had - however I was taking oestrogen only - I am of the opinion it is the progesterone part of the combination tablet that can cause issues. I feel the benefits outweighed all the so called side effects. But then that is my own story - don't get me wrong progesterone is really needed by the female body but it is getting the balance right that is the problem and can cause issues if this doesn't happen. Hope this helps.

[Sylvia22]

I was omit twenty years. Then when QI hit 65 they wouldn’t let me have it I would have stayed on it but couldn’t get any of my doctors to prescribe it

[serenfach]

I looked it up a while ago when the GP said to come off it. I then went back with the results of risk and told him. He was not amused. At the time there was a shortage of HRT.

Risk of breast cancer =3 in 1000

Risk of clotting = 1 in 1000

Current thinking is now to let women stay on it for the rest of their lives.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I tried every herbal remedy - each one for at least 3 months, for 7 years of hell before giving up and going for biohrt. The only one that was even partly useful was agnus castus.

[milkwoman]

I’ve been on HRT since Oct 2016 and have no intention of ever stopping it. I went into menopause early (before age 50) and was experiencing horrible night sweats and hot flashes. I have yearly ultrasounds to check the thickness of my uterine lining and so far, no changes. In addition, my breast health is optimal and my fibroids (which I’ve had for 25 years) are stable.

My HRT consists of a custom compounded transdermal cream which contains estriol, estradiol and progesterone. It doesn’t contain testosterone because my body still makes enough and taking additional just made me irritated and angry all the time. I apply the compounded cream twice a day.

With HRT, it’s all about balance. When your hormones are in balance, your system works as it should. For well over a decade prior to menopause, I was on custom compounded progesterone cream because all my life I’ve been estrogen dominant. I did try estrogen patches at first (before going to the Bi-est cream) but found them to not alleviate my symptoms. I also tried oral progesterone at one point but all that did was make me rapidly gain weight. My current HRT works great and I’m able to stay slim and no longer have night sweats or hot flashes.

The two estrogens are key (at least for me). It took a bit of time to find the right dosage but I’ve been stable now for well over 2 years. If my GYN ever tries to take me off HRT or even reduce it, I would find a new GYN. For me, any “risks” are worth my current quality of life. Why there are doctors who want women to suffer is beyond my comprehension!

[cein]

I was taking HRT for 38 years with no problems .. I only stopped taking it in Feb this year due to shock and trauma I was suffering from really bad anxiety at the time I was also having dexamethasone tests it was all too much for my system and my blood pressure went up 245 / 154

The HRT was stopped immediately due to the risk of a stroke . I think I should add that I am 73.

[Eton in reply to cein]

Cein

Can I ask what kind of HRT you were on. Estrogen only or combined? I use combined estrogen and progestogen for bone protection rather than menopausal symptoms. I have been using it for 5 years but worry about the breast cancer risks.

[fayray in reply to Eton]

I’m on both too been on estrogen for 13 yrs and progesterone for past yr yes I worry about using this stuff too