Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Women have huge doses of estrogen floating around in their bodies for almost 40 years. Then they will take 6 months of HRT, get breast cancer, and blame it on the HRT. Oh, really? They also would not stick old men on SSRIs to shut them up. Men are routinely offered Viagra and testosterone therapy not told to drink spearmint tea.

If you don't want to take it, then don't.

IVF shows links to it.

There is plenty of research to link HRT to cancer. It's a risk benefit thing, so it should be a last option.

Anonymous wrote:I read a book by Newson on menopause. I’m currently in menopause and it was seriously affecting my sleep and life with night sweats and multiple flashes a day. I asked my obgyn about hrt and am on a patch. I have my life back and am so glad I did this. You don’t have to suffer.

I had night sweats, bad hot flashes, etc. I had it for a few years and then they were gone. I didn't lose my life. It was uncomfortable, not life altering. I understood the why, the what, and the how. It's called adapting. People don't need HRT to get their life back. They need to understand menopause. I exercised, no alcohol, altered my diet. I am fine.

Nope. Everyone I know who went on HRT had breast cancer. Two did have genetic predisposition, the others did not. The good news is that they all, so far, have survived, and post 5, 10, and 15 years.

Unfortunately, several were hooked on the idea that they were on "safe" hormones- bioidentical. They are still hormones being marketed as somehow better.

Menopause is just a natural progression of life. Society pathologies it, just like it pathologizes aging. Exercise, lifestyle, diet can help the aging process, and we forget that.

Anonymous wrote:No. Menopause for me was not a big deal, and I never considered any medical interventions. Menopause has assumed mythical proportions but at most it was a mild inconvenience which compared to getting a monthly period was a breeze.

+1. My experience was similar. Menopause was such a gradual process that I noticed almost no changes, other than some hot flashes.
I would definitely recommend seeing how peri-menopause and menopause are affecting you before HRT.

I read a book by Newson on menopause. I’m currently in menopause and it was seriously affecting my sleep and life with night sweats and multiple flashes a day. I asked my obgyn about hrt and am on a patch. I have my life back and am so glad I did this. You don’t have to suffer.

If you have osteoporosis pre-menopause, you should discuss it with your doctor before menopause is complete as there are many doctors who believe estrogen replacement therapy for 10 years helps prevent further bone density loss.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my 20s and this is a topic I have been studying for almost a decade and Im now in perimenopause. My gyn has recommended using a low dose birth control pill for estrogen replacement.

Three friends in Europe have been out on HRT — wondering why there’s a difference here!

I'm following this thread, since I've been feeling totally clueless about menopause in a lot of ways. I swear, I need a perimenopausal version of Are You There God, It's Me Margaret.

No. Menopause for me was not a big deal, and I never considered any medical interventions. Menopause has assumed mythical proportions but at most it was a mild inconvenience which compared to getting a monthly period was a breeze.

Anonymous wrote:Women have huge doses of estrogen floating around in their bodies for almost 40 years. Then they will take 6 months of HRT, get breast cancer, and blame it on the HRT. Oh, really? They also would not stick old men on SSRIs to shut them up. Men are routinely offered Viagra and testosterone therapy not told to drink spearmint tea.

If you don't want to take it, then don't.

IVF shows links to it.

Anonymous wrote:Menopause Confidential is great at explaining what hormone replacement options could be used and when. Also clears up the old information about breast cancer and HRT. It is a concern but not just a blanket “HRT will give you breast cancer!”

Short answer: for peri-menopause ask your gynecologist to put you on continuous birth control to skip your periods and regulate your estrogen for mental and physical well-being. HRT is for menopausal women.

Short answers frequently skip over crucial points. Many perimenopausal women should not be on hormonal birth control due to stroke risk.

The only issue I am having is hair on my chin so if spearmint tea can make that stop I will sip it all day every day.

Nope! It’s not routine. No one mentioned it to me and, afaik, none of my friends have done it either. As others have said, it’s something that would be discussed in terms of symptoms. I didn’t have any concerning symptoms, so I didn’t bring it up and neither did my gynecologist.

Anonymous wrote:No, not anymore. We saw too many people 10-20 years ahead of us get breast cancer. Hard pass.

Yep. My mom being one of them.

Anonymous wrote:Women have huge doses of estrogen floating around in their bodies for almost 40 years. Then they will take 6 months of HRT, get breast cancer, and blame it on the HRT. Oh, really? They also would not stick old men on SSRIs to shut them up. Men are routinely offered Viagra and testosterone therapy not told to drink spearmint tea.

If you don't want to take it, then don't.

Doesn't work that way, dear.