Would you take hormones if you were me? (info in post)

[Anonymous]

I don’t have your osteopenia issue and I am 51 and went thru memo at 48-49. I had some hot flashes but they have calmed way down now. I get ocular migraine but way way less since meno. I have gained 10 lbs I can’t lose which makes me barely in overweight bmi. I have 3 lbs to lose to be “normal”. My mother and grandmother died of bc (mom was estrogen positive) both developed post meno and a cousin had estrogen positive bc also post meno but caught super early and she is fine. As a result of this I get mammo and mri alternating every 6 months which I hate. I do have no sex drive and that is a challenge I do just suck it up sometimes.

My dr said that if my life is really affected we can have a discussion. But I don’t think it has? I feel pretty good to be honest. I have not taken hormones and will not.

I feel like just maybe the pendulum has swung the other way on hormones. All this stuff out there makes me feel like a freak that will turn into a crone early and die earlier if I don’t take hormones. It almost seems a bit of trying to make all women young and sexy forever and it seems kinda controlling that way. I get if you have reallly bad meno symptoms and need it that is one thing - but it seems like the message is everyone should be on hormones. I am “all natural” and fine with that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have your osteopenia issue and I am 51 and went thru memo at 48-49. I had some hot flashes but they have calmed way down now. I get ocular migraine but way way less since meno. I have gained 10 lbs I can’t lose which makes me barely in overweight bmi. I have 3 lbs to lose to be “normal”. My mother and grandmother died of bc (mom was estrogen positive) both developed post meno and a cousin had estrogen positive bc also post meno but caught super early and she is fine. As a result of this I get mammo and mri alternating every 6 months which I hate. I do have no sex drive and that is a challenge I do just suck it up sometimes.

My dr said that if my life is really affected we can have a discussion. But I don’t think it has? I feel pretty good to be honest. I have not taken hormones and will not.

I feel like just maybe the pendulum has swung the other way on hormones. All this stuff out there makes me feel like a freak that will turn into a crone early and die earlier if I don’t take hormones. It almost seems a bit of trying to make all women young and sexy forever and it seems kinda controlling that way. I get if you have reallly bad meno symptoms and need it that is one thing - but it seems like the message is everyone should be on hormones. I am “all natural” and fine with that!

I completely feel the same as you on the pendulum.

Thirty years ago it was “Premarin for everyone!” Then it was sorry nothing for you. And now it’s celebrity menopause influencers, and Tik Tok doctors pushing it once again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was always told no hormones b/c of the BC in my family. I'm on them now. Check with a menopause specialist b/c god almightly they are amazing. I can sleep. No hot flashes. joints feel better.

I got breast cancer in my 30s and it’s not genetic. That means my sisters can take HRT. In the meantime I take pills that remove all estrogen from my body. I feel so ugly.
No hot flashes? Nice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes and I’d want a dose that helped me with energy, sleep, muscle recovery and I’d use those gains to double down on healthy living esp sleep, diet and exercise bc those things decrease risk of BC. I’d also give up smoking or drinking if those were indulgences from my younger years. And I’d invest in BC screening and testing.

?? It’s a personal decision. I’m 54. In menopause maybe (have a IUD and don’t get my period so don’t fully know). I wake up at night. Have had some hot flashes. Have good energy during the day and no brain fog after morning coffee and run. I Eat well. I also enjoy a drink. I do wonder if I am missing out on hormones but in addition to the breast cancer risk (which isn’t in my family history) there is also blood of clotting risk (which is) so to me it’s not worth it. Yes, I’ve gained 10 lbs (120 to 130). And I have chin hair (I pluck). But to be 54 is not to be 24. Isn’t that ok? Of course for some with severe rehabilitating symptoms maybe hormones make sense. But it’s also okay to age.

[Anonymous]

PP on IUD, you are getting hormones from the IUD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I don’t drink which raises the risk as well. Does anyone here who wont do hormones drink? Not trying to be contrarian but just a valid point my doctor raised.

Crickets

Hormones replacement is pumped into your body 24/7. Most older women who drink don't drink that much or often due to negative after effects. I neither drink nor will I take hrt. My mother died from ovarian cancer and, as another pp noted, there are other ways to get better sleep. Hrt, with your risk profile, is worse than the risk of drink a glass of wine a few nights a week.

This is not knowable based on the information OP has or ever will have. Share your opinion, but don't make ish up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HRT helped me so much. In your case, I would try HRT but get a breast MRI in 6 months. Mammogram won't help you with dense tissue. If it is clear, i would feel better about not developing hormone+ cancer. I am not a doctor so discuss with yours.

My doctor said ultrasound is fine to do between mammogram. I don’t want the contrast
If you have extreme dense breasts, MRI is now standard.

Breast specialist said ultrasound.

US is not adequate for extremely dense breasts. And if you have not seen the breast specialist in a year or so, I suggest that you go back, because the guidelines for this changed within the last 14 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I don’t drink which raises the risk as well. Does anyone here who wont do hormones drink? Not trying to be contrarian but just a valid point my doctor raised.

Crickets

Hormones replacement is pumped into your body 24/7. Most older women who drink don't drink that much or often due to negative after effects. I neither drink nor will I take hrt. My mother died from ovarian cancer and, as another pp noted, there are other ways to get better sleep. Hrt, with your risk profile, is worse than the risk of drink a glass of wine a few nights a week.

This is not knowable based on the information OP has or ever will have. Share your opinion, but don't make ish up.

?

Not pp, and I agree with you that on a cellular / molecular level, we can’t know if how these two modifiable risks would impact OP specifically. The science isn’t there yet.

But in terms of statistical breast cancer risk, of course HRT is a way higher risk than a glass of wine. Estrogen receptor positive breast cancer is fueled by estrogen. That’s like breast cancer 101. We also know that alcohol is a carcinogen but it doesn’t directly fuel cellular division and growth like estrogen does (although it does interact synergistically with estrogen). So what am I’m missing?

[Anonymous]

I am taking HRT and am very happy with my decision.

[Anonymous]

OP, consult with a knowledgeable doctor who would help you weigh the risks vs. the benefits. HRT can be very beneficial for bone health. A doctor can help you sort out whether those benefits outweigh the increased risk for someone with a family history of breast cancer.

[Anonymous]

I would just like to point out that if estrogen truly caused breast cancer, the rate would be much higher among pregnant women and young women. In fact, the most common time to get breast cancer is 50s and beyond, after you have gone through menopause and basically have no estrogen in your body.

[Anonymous]

I would, and I do. They help the most with sleeping through the night and energy during the day. They also helped with weight loss but I think that was most related to sleep and energy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have your osteopenia issue and I am 51 and went thru memo at 48-49. I had some hot flashes but they have calmed way down now. I get ocular migraine but way way less since meno. I have gained 10 lbs I can’t lose which makes me barely in overweight bmi. I have 3 lbs to lose to be “normal”. My mother and grandmother died of bc (mom was estrogen positive) both developed post meno and a cousin had estrogen positive bc also post meno but caught super early and she is fine. As a result of this I get mammo and mri alternating every 6 months which I hate. I do have no sex drive and that is a challenge I do just suck it up sometimes.

My dr said that if my life is really affected we can have a discussion. But I don’t think it has? I feel pretty good to be honest. I have not taken hormones and will not.

I feel like just maybe the pendulum has swung the other way on hormones. All this stuff out there makes me feel like a freak that will turn into a crone early and die earlier if I don’t take hormones. It almost seems a bit of trying to make all women young and sexy forever and it seems kinda controlling that way. I get if you have reallly bad meno symptoms and need it that is one thing - but it seems like the message is everyone should be on hormones. I am “all natural” and fine with that!

NP. I can’t even…that is SO misogynistic to say women are taking hormones to be “young and sexy forever.” Truly appalling.

Many of us have done the research and have talked to our doctors about ALL the risks including osteoporosis (which nearly every women eventually gets and is a cause of death because so many women end up dying after a fracture). Also, heart disease, not breast cancer, is the leading cause of death for women and while HRT is not prescribed for that, there is interesting research coming out. Also, vaginal estrogen protects from atrophy and UTIs, which can negatively affect health outcomes. This is all in addition to lessening symptoms, including depression which is scarily on the rise in midlife women.

It’s not for vanity.

[Anonymous]

I’m pp. and not advocating for it one way or another, just making the medical case for why some women choose it with their doctors, especially those who give you agency to assess your risk for everything and decide.

[Anonymous]

It was probably not DCIS which is generally curable and stage 1 when found. If mom had Her2 positive or triple negative, I would be more worried.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With that breast cancer risk? Absolutely no way. You are in the one group that shouldn’t even consider it (so am I).

Gyn said risk is an extra 2/1000 people

I am the pp you are responding to. I am watching a relative succumb to BC right now and I would not add to that risk by 1/1000000. Things add up when you are already at an elevated risk.

On of my best friends died of breast cancer at 52. So horrific.