Social media is overselling HRT - not every woman needs it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't take them, I take Black Cohosh which works pretty good. I did look into thyroid meds as I lost all my hair, other than the head and face and my metabolism slowed down. Turns out those meds too are directly linked to increased cancers, by a legit study. No, thank you.

Thyroid meds are linked to cancer? Huh?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8177794/#:~:text=Our%20study%20results%20showed%20that,pancreatic%2C%20and%20female%20breast%20cancers.

Wait, I’ve been taking levothyroxine since I was 12 for hypo… am 48 now. Drs have kept me on it… should I try to stop? This is alarming.

Based on one study? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't take them, I take Black Cohosh which works pretty good. I did look into thyroid meds as I lost all my hair, other than the head and face and my metabolism slowed down. Turns out those meds too are directly linked to increased cancers, by a legit study. No, thank you.

Thyroid meds are linked to cancer? Huh?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8177794/#:~:text=Our%20study%20results%20showed%20that,pancreatic%2C%20and%20female%20breast%20cancers.

Wait, I’ve been taking levothyroxine since I was 12 for hypo… am 48 now. Drs have kept me on it… should I try to stop? This is alarming.

Based on one study? No.

+1. Also if your thyroid is so low functioning, what’s your alternative?

[Anonymous]

Were the controls in that study unmedicated hypothyroid patients? If not, the study is pretty useless. For all you know, the culprit could be the hypothyroidism itself.

[Anonymous]

My life has gotten INFINITELY better since I started HRT! I didn't suffer from hot flashes but the quality of my sleep declined, I developed restless legs, had brain fog, low energy, increased inflammation (I have a plate in my leg and it became very achy so I knew it wasn't just aging joints), weight gain in my middle even though I eat healthy and exercised more.

I didn't need social media to point me to HRT. The few studies out there were enough for me to pursue a www.menopause.org certified provider.

I LOVE what HRT has done. It's not a silver bullet but, for me, it's a game changer. YMMV

[Anonymous]

Well, I read Jenn Gunter’s book the menopause manifesto and really enjoyed it. She was certainly very pro HRT in that book.

I feel like she’s having a war with some of the menopause influencers and it’s muddling up her message. It’s true we shouldn’t be pushed into HRT willy nilly but it’s also true most women aren’t taking it and it’s probably under prescribed.

Also saw the drug that they just approved for hot flashes now has a big old black box warning from the FDA. Seems like it would just be safer to take HT for many women, but bottom line is talk to your doctor.

[Anonymous]

FWIW my doc was not going to prescribe hrt until I mentioned night sweats and hot flashes. Which is funny as these were really the most minor of the symptoms overall. The only “influence” I experienced was openness in my peers discussing their own experiences instead of being more stoic about it like my mother’s generation. Who also seem to be more ready to talk about it now after seeing how their daughters are managing their passage.

While this is perhaps different than so called pushing or pressure to get support or buy a product/service I can see the ease having sponsored and unsponsored content brings. So be annoyed or feisty about whatever you perceive SOCIAL MEDIA is doing to impact a select population, but frankly it’s not all harmful.

Same for pelvic floor health. I’m gleeful so many people are finally finding a pathway to healing.

And with all absolutely see a care provider to augment and inform the diy approach.