menopause

Mylink,

Alison is right -- HRT is one of the busiest topics on EmpowHer! There are so many questions surrounding it, and the decision is different for each woman.

Some basic questions I have for you:

Have you had a hysterectomy? If so, do you still have your ovaries?

What are the symptoms that you primarily need to address?

What HRT is your doctor wanting to prescribe?

Do you have insurance, but your insurance won't cover bio-identical?

The reason doctors prescribe HRT is that it benefits many women in different ways. For instance, some women have such serious menopausal symptoms that HRT is a lifeline back to normalcy, even with some risks. Other women weigh the risks and benefits and decide that HRT is not for them.

One of the best resources anywhere is Dr. Christiane Northrup's book, The Wisdom of Menopause. She discusses all the symptoms and all the ways in which women can manage symptoms -- and even thrive -- during menopause. And she writes in-depth about both synthetic and bioidentical hormones.

Dr. Northrup has written for EmpowHer; here is a link to her articles:

https://www.empowher.com/users/christiane-northrup

And this is her website:

http://www.drnorthrup.com/

And here are articles she's written on HRT:

http://www.drnorthrup.com/search/search.php

This is a link to the book I was writing about. It's in paperback now and isn't very expensive, or you could find it at your library:

http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Menopause-Creating-Physical-Emotional/dp/0553384090/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273851007&sr=8-1

I am in menopause too, so I know what you mean when you say how hard it is to get a grip on this. I hope this information helps, and if you'll write back and answer my questions above I may be able to help you more.

Hi,
There have been many discussions related to menopause and the use of HRT. Please feel free to read these discussions, and post questions/comments to continue the conversation (or, you can just read what other woman's experiences have been): EmpowHER: Menopause and HRT Discussion List.