I am thinking there are millions of women on some sort of HRT. And as mentioned above, this should always be with a lot of thought and discussion with a doctor who is an expert in hormones and the whole female body. I discovered that my gynecologist was not the best person, even though I had liked him a lot for many years. I think that some gynecologists are still pretty tunnel-vision about what could work, and I have found an m.d. who is a naturopathic doctor and a hormone specialist and he had so many further ideas beyond what my gynecologist was able to provide. And I would have to say, if you do go on HRT---and there are many reasons why you might consider it----when you do decide to stop, you should have a plan and do it gradually and with great thought.
I am almost 63--I had been on HRT for 9 years and felt great---was forced to stop suddenly over two years ago, and it has been a nightmare. I am still trying to get through horrible hot flashes which have almost destroyed my life. My doctor and I have tried many things and have come up with some solutions which we think are good, and in the middle of all of it, ultimately it has been my quality of life which has driven our decisions. You have to weigh any other health issues you have and what your life is like and what you want. I know women of various ages who have been on HRT, decided oh it is time to stop----and they were so miserable that they have gone back on some form or other. I realize a lot of women survive menopause just fine, but truth be told, our bodies were designed to have estrogen. In an evolutionary sense, we were never meant to live so many years after our periods stopped. But in the past 100 years or so, we have, we do, and many of us have suffered greatly within a male-dominated medical culture which tends to pat us on the head and tell us to get a better attitiude----and a popular culture and media which makes a big joke out of PMS and menopause. I tell you, it is no joke to have not really slept for over two years and for having lost much of my life. So I do ramble. But I would have lots of questions for your doctor and find out why a certain kind of HRT is best for you, how long you might take it, and what do you do if it time to stop? I know women getting close to 80 still taking HRT and saying you will have to pry it out of my dead fingers because I am not going to stop and suffer the misery of going without. So ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers.
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I am thinking there are millions of women on some sort of HRT. And as mentioned above, this should always be with a lot of thought and discussion with a doctor who is an expert in hormones and the whole female body. I discovered that my gynecologist was not the best person, even though I had liked him a lot for many years. I think that some gynecologists are still pretty tunnel-vision about what could work, and I have found an m.d. who is a naturopathic doctor and a hormone specialist and he had so many further ideas beyond what my gynecologist was able to provide. And I would have to say, if you do go on HRT---and there are many reasons why you might consider it----when you do decide to stop, you should have a plan and do it gradually and with great thought.
November 17, 2011 - 10:52amI am almost 63--I had been on HRT for 9 years and felt great---was forced to stop suddenly over two years ago, and it has been a nightmare. I am still trying to get through horrible hot flashes which have almost destroyed my life. My doctor and I have tried many things and have come up with some solutions which we think are good, and in the middle of all of it, ultimately it has been my quality of life which has driven our decisions. You have to weigh any other health issues you have and what your life is like and what you want. I know women of various ages who have been on HRT, decided oh it is time to stop----and they were so miserable that they have gone back on some form or other. I realize a lot of women survive menopause just fine, but truth be told, our bodies were designed to have estrogen. In an evolutionary sense, we were never meant to live so many years after our periods stopped. But in the past 100 years or so, we have, we do, and many of us have suffered greatly within a male-dominated medical culture which tends to pat us on the head and tell us to get a better attitiude----and a popular culture and media which makes a big joke out of PMS and menopause. I tell you, it is no joke to have not really slept for over two years and for having lost much of my life. So I do ramble. But I would have lots of questions for your doctor and find out why a certain kind of HRT is best for you, how long you might take it, and what do you do if it time to stop? I know women getting close to 80 still taking HRT and saying you will have to pry it out of my dead fingers because I am not going to stop and suffer the misery of going without. So ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers.
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