Fortunately for me it's only the hot flushes, no mood issues etc, so I can live with it. @debs64 when I asked the practice nurse about HRT (who was somewhere around my age) she said that if you still have your womb and you're peri-menopausal or not long post-menopause, you have to take the progesterone cyclically to protect against endometrial cancer (I suppose medical opinions may vary on that) and it can give a withdrawal bleed, not a true period but like what you get on combined oral contraceptives. Mine were always painful even on the pill so no thanks! At the time my natural periods hadn't completely stopped so I thought it best to wait and see how things develop. It's now been 11 months (fingers and toes crossed they don't come back, I'm 55 and it is so liberating not having them).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I went through an early menopause,42,had just, thankfully had my last baby, second hubbies first. I had had heavy painful periods since I was 11,saw the menopause as something positive. Annoys me when some people say the symptoms are in the mind. Overnight,I went from fit/healthy, working 50 hours a week, huge garden,it was a standing joke,you could set your watch by me....to,every joint in my body hurt,I couldn't remember even to feed the animals,I had to write it down. Was determined not to have HRT,I tried sage,black cohosh,red clover. Over a year,so decent period of time. I did go to a proper herbalist. None of it worked. It was also very expensive, even without her regular reviews. So GP, blood tests,he said in view of my age, height/size,fact I had had a couple of fractures,I needed HRT for the osteoporosis protection. I do a lot of weight bearing excercise as you know, plus my job was physical. It was magic. Under 50,or "period" free for over two years,you could take,"period" free HRT, up till then, the type like the "pill", which causes "break through bleeding", in my case as heavy and painful as the periods. Again being under 50,you have to use contraception,in my case the pill. Was on both,till 50. Had a couple of abdominal operations,so off the pills. By 7 days, the hot flushes were back. Some so bad thought I would pass out! Was on it 17 years, moved here,new GP lady I think in her 50s, said it should be 5 years maximum. Symptoms back.that was 2011, I still get hot flushes, night and day.
I tried everything I could! Agnus Castus did the job OK in peri - after giving it to my poor horse who really suffered when in season, and seeing how brilliant it was for her.. but last year, after ten years of torment, I went on HRT - a million boiling flushes 24/7 went after a few weeks and by increasing oestrogen gradually. Sadly nothing else worked, and I will always go natural before allopathic. They're mostly made of yam extract now.
I don't think it's sad if it worked so well. Medicine has a valuable place in staying well. As with killing rats, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.
Believe it or not, I've been taking HRT for 32 years and there's no way I'd consider stopping taking it. I'm at an age now where quality is better than quantity in my remaining years until Jesus calls me to be a sunbeam. When I have my yearly MOT at the docs it isn't even mentioned anymore.
I have a history of breast cancer - which was said to contraindicate HRT (not sure if that's still true) but I would take it in a heartbeat if I had the hell that other people suffer. Chemo in my 30s nearly pushed me into menopause but things regulated after treatment finished, I'm very pleased to say. My mum had a hellish time but I am determining on a walk in the park with a picnic, tulips and roses abounding.
Everyone's so different, and thank goodness for that otherwise what a boring world it would be.
With a history of breast cancer in my close family I was scared of taking HRT, which turned out to be a good decision as at the age of 47 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumour was an estrogen receptor, meaning estrogen was fuelling the growth of the cancer, because of that my ovaries were removed which meant I crashed into menopause. With everything else going on, inc. chemo and radium treatment, menopause wasn't given a thought.
It's a tough decision to make for some, but personally I'm glad I didn't take it when offered, otherwise I doubt I'd be here now.
One thing I will say to you ladies (and men, they too can get breast cancer) is that you'll not always find a lump, I didn't have a lump, nor did my tumour show up on regular mammograms. Mine was found because a nipple started behaving oddly, it would get perky without the other - that's all it was. Luckily for me I was sent to the Royal Marsden where they found a 'spiders web' tumour which was pretty undetectable. If anything strange is happening to your breast, dimples forming, moles appearing or changing shape, you'll be wise to get it checked out.
Sorry, I hope I'm not lecturing, I certainly don't mean to.
I have a history of breast cancer - which was said to contraindicate HRT (not sure if that's still true) but I would take it in a heartbeat if I had the hell that other people suffer. Chemo in my 30s nearly pushed me into menopause but things regulated after treatment finished, I'm very pleased to say. My mum had a hellish time but I am determining on a walk in the park with a picnic, tulips and roses abounding.
History of BC in my family and for that reason I have declined HRT....better to put up with the discomfort of hot flushes. Fortunately for me no other symptoms.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
One thing I will say to you ladies (and men, they too can get breast
cancer) is that you'll not always find a lump, I didn't have a lump, nor
did my tumour show up on regular mammograms. Mine was found because a
nipple started behaving oddly, it would get perky without the other -
that's all it was. Luckily for me I was sent to the Royal Marsden where
they found a 'spiders web' tumour which was pretty undetectable. If
anything strange is happening to your breast, dimples forming, moles
appearing or changing shape, you'll be wise to get it checked out.
Good to know, and remember. I did "find my own lump". My mum had breast cancer so I have checked since the age of 15. I also had a powerful dream one night where I found a lump in a certain tricky position. In the morning I checked - and there it was, small and almost impossible to find if you weren't looking. I had to point the GP to it. A week later I had surgery, then chemo, then radio and I'm all well and good. But without that dream I would never have found it under my own steam, even with regular checks, and might not be here now. I'm not sure what the moral is. I did have odd tingles - like small electrical shocks in the breast for the months leading up to surgery. So maybe the moral is - listen to your 'tingles' whatever they may be.
Sorry, I hope I'm not lecturing, I certainly don't mean to.
Not at all. It's important stuff to share, I think.
Posts
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/15/doctors-warn-against-over-medicalising-menopause-after-uk-criticism
When I have my yearly MOT at the docs it isn't even mentioned anymore.
With a history of breast cancer in my close family I was scared of taking HRT, which turned out to be a good decision as at the age of 47 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumour was an estrogen receptor, meaning estrogen was fuelling the growth of the cancer, because of that my ovaries were removed which meant I crashed into menopause. With everything else going on, inc. chemo and radium treatment, menopause wasn't given a thought.
It's a tough decision to make for some, but personally I'm glad I didn't take it when offered, otherwise I doubt I'd be here now.
One thing I will say to you ladies (and men, they too can get breast cancer) is that you'll not always find a lump, I didn't have a lump, nor did my tumour show up on regular mammograms. Mine was found because a nipple started behaving oddly, it would get perky without the other - that's all it was. Luckily for me I was sent to the Royal Marsden where they found a 'spiders web' tumour which was pretty undetectable. If anything strange is happening to your breast, dimples forming, moles appearing or changing shape, you'll be wise to get it checked out.
Sorry, I hope I'm not lecturing, I certainly don't mean to.
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
Not at all. It's important stuff to share, I think.