HRT without hot flashes?

[Anonymous]

I'm an expat living in a country that is not caught up with current research on perimenopause, so I have to do a lot of my own research and advocacy.

I am 46. I have every symptom in the book except for hot flashes. Joint pain, vaginal dryness, severe mood swings, bloating and water retention, irregular periods (12 to 48 day cycles), low libido, fatigue, memory issues, anxiety, mild nausea, acne, breast pain, significant weight gain... Other causes have been ruled out via bloodwork, ultrasound, etc. But my current gyn won't prescribe HRT because "you're too young" and "you're not having hot flashes yet."

I'm curious what the standard of care is in the US in this case? Were you prescribed HRT without hot flashes?

Everyone here is telling me to just lie and say hot flashes to get HRT, but I'd like to know what's standard before doing that.

[Anonymous]

Same here, down to being an expat

[Anonymous]

im post menopausal. never had hotflashes except when i was on lupron or fermara during fertility treatments.

i'm on HRT (combipatch, testosterone cream, vaginal estrogen pills) despite no hotflashes.

[Anonymous]

If you can handle the symptoms is there merit otherwise in going on?

[Anonymous]

I think the main concern for most is the lack of sleep caused by the hot flashes. Do you get night sweats?

[Anonymous]

F that doc. https://www.myalloy.com/

[Anonymous]

It can go either way in the US. HRT is really only clinically approved for hot flashes (and preserving bone density), so some doctors won’t prescribe it for other reasons.

[Anonymous]

I'm 52 and have been in Perimenopause for about 7 years, not one hot flash and I'm on progesterone and testosterone. Will likely start estrogen soon.

[Anonymous]

I got it for bone density. Take PPIs known risk factor.

[Anonymous]

I’m your age OP. I’ve been in peri for 10 years. My doc just put me on continuous birth control pills. She said to try this first. She prefers HRT for post menopausal women
If this doesn’t help me then I can try HRT.

Birth control replaces your hormones and keeps them level all the time. HRT adds a lower dose of estrogen to what you already have. Since I still get periods, albeit super irregular, my hormones go from spiked really high to really low. The BC pills basically make them ‘medium’ all the time and keeps me from having a period at all so I don’t deal with irregularities anymore. HRT would add to my natural spikes and could cause heavier bleeding.

[Anonymous]

Go on the birth control pill. Same results.

[Anonymous]

My doc in the US said HRT is only approved for treating hot flashes. Then she asked me what my symptoms were.

[Anonymous]

Same OP, but I'm in the US and dealing with doctors who haven't caught up here. I'm staying on BC per the PPs and it's working for me. I'm grateful to all the advice on here.

However, that controls only (somewhat) the hot flashes.

I don't know what to do about mood swings, anxiety, my hair turning into crispix and my vag feeling not dry, but always on the verge of a yeast infection.

Since I'm also I'm my own, would getting onto that my alloy site help or will that be full on HRT medications? I think I need something in addition to my BC.

[Anonymous]

New poster here. I’m 53. Lately I’ve been getting bad night sweats. Like I strip off all my clothes and I’ve always run cold. But no hot flashes any other time. Does this count? I got an iud so my periods are extremely light and irregular anyway.