Anonymous wrote:I had a complete hysterectomy at 37. I'm almost 50 now. No HRT. It's just not worth the risk in my opinion. Every doctor I have even talked to has agreed that IF you must take them, take the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time possible. The first couple of years were rough, on and off. No problems at all after that.

if you have no uterus, then you would only take estrogen and no progesterone. There is no breast cancer risk with estrogen only therapy--only with combination estrogen/progesterone therapy which is necessary to prevent uterine cancer. The lack of understanding and misinformation about hrt is astounding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone doing it anymore? I thought the dangers were too great. My gyn. says none for me. Mom has has breast cancer twice. Aunt died of it. Cousin has it. All due to HRT> I think the liablity is too great for doctors to prescribe it (Hormne replacement therapy, by the way 1:47). I don't know anyone on it.

Nice try. HRT did not cause your relatives cancer. If the link were that clear, the FDA would not approve it.

it is not approved for people with cancer in the family especially breast and ovarian.

That isn't true. It depends on the type of cancer, the age of onset and other factors. My mom died of breast cancer and hurt is not off limits to me based her age, type of breast cancer, etc. I checked this out with multiple menopause specific gyns.

Anonymous wrote:Hi there.

Has anyone on here opted not to do HRT for menopause? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences. Anyone who has done it or not done it and then changed their minds, I'd love to hear from you, too!

Not doing it. Family history of breast cancer. Hot flashes suck but I'm dealing.

No HRT. I was on BCP for a loooooong time and just want to be rid of hormone therapy (breast cancer in the family, too, though through aunts, not mother).

I find that "healthy living" helps (not cures) my symptoms, so because I have no other recourse, I pay extra attention to sleep, diet, and exercise. So my lack of HRT is a great motivator for good habits.

YMMV.

I had a complete hysterectomy at 37. I'm almost 50 now. No HRT. It's just not worth the risk in my opinion. Every doctor I have even talked to has agreed that IF you must take them, take the lowest dose for the shortest amount of time possible. The first couple of years were rough, on and off. No problems at all after that.

I had minimal hot flashes through menopause. My initial symptom was trouble sleeping -- and after 4 years of not having a good night's sleep consistently, I tried lavender oil on a lark -- I got a free sample at one of those essential oil parties. To my shock, it worked like a charm.

Post menopause, I have extreme vaginal dryness. Artificial lubrication makes sex only tolerable, not enjoyable. So I started Vagifem suppositories. Those have made a huge difference in my sexual well-being.

Didn't do HRT (my sister the doctor did).

Exercised regularly, ate a ton of flaxseed (which, fair warning, does not help most women, but was estrogenic for me -- need the hulls for lignans, though, not just the oil), moved to a layered/cardigan-centric wardrobe.

I was fat before menopause and am fat afterwards.

Found this thread and thought I would resurface it. I have questions for those of you on HRT.

Does it help you sleep? My sleep has become horrible (I am 55).

Does it truly help your mood swings? I am so much more anxious (always was, but now worse).

Anything else you would like to share in your experience would be great. I am in the process of weighing the pros and cons to start it. There is no history of breast cancer in my family, and my doctor thinks I am a good candidate.

I've been taking Whole Foods 24-Hour Menopause Remedy for about three weeks, and I swear it's been working...far, far fewer rages; much, much better sleep; barely any night sweats. If it's all the placebo effect, that's fine with me!

Never. Changed diet and that helped quite a bit. Cut out caffeine and chocolate, gluten, all dairy, most meat, eggs and chicken, and most sugar. The hot flashes stopped for the most part after that. Mood swings are still there, but I take fish oil and long walks, which seem to help. I know a woman who took HRT for a short time because she had total insominia for almost a year, but even the HRT only helped for a short time. After a while, her sleep improved. I guess it's something you just have to endure. I'm getting close to the end, but still have hot flashes once a day or so, but they are very mild.

OP here. Just checked back into this thread. Thank you everyone for responding. It's a a very interesting mix of experiences, and lots of food for thought.

Everyone has valid info and opinions anonymous

Don't use HRT unless your symptoms are extreme.

This is crap advise. The WHI study was extremely flawed. There are indeed benefits to HRT and every woman needs to make an informed decision. Please consult a gyno who specializes in menopause--only there will you get accurate information and not just the outdated WHI crap.

Surgical menopause here, not on HRT. Mild hot flashes at night (worse in summer and after drinking alcohol). I cannot lose weight and my memory is terrible, but part of the memory problem may be leftover chemo brain.

My hair is super thick and haven't noticed any skin changes. Some vaginal dryness.

Slightly off topic: When did your hot flashes start? I'm 49.5 and my periods have started coming and going but no flashes yet. Just wondering what to expect.