Forced off HRT at 60?

Hi I'm excited and relieved to have found this site and to find that there are other people like me.  I started HRT at 50 and saw my gynaecologist twice yearly for checks - blood test for oestradiol levels and a scan for endometrium thickness.  My does of HRT were adjusted accordingly.  This gynaecolist was in my age group and was very supportive  He talked about personal and population risks and that my risk was low.  He talked of flawed research on HRT.  He had a Phd and was a professor in a university.  After he retired I went to his replacement - a young new consultant.  He continues to prescribe HRT but he is not happy with me continuing on it.  He said that he will bring this up every two years.  In the meantime I try to maintain good relations with him in the hope that he will continue prescribing.  My GP is supportive also but I go to the gynaecologist because of the scan.  One major difference is that the previous gynecologist and GP are in my age group and mixing with women who have issues.  I want to remain on HRT forever.  

Have you considered buying your HRT online?

Hi groovy nanna. I also have a mum whose a groovy nanna but boy has she been through hell in last 5 yrs with her health. My mum had early hestorectomy amd went on hrt in her early 40s. She recently had to stop taking it as she got breast cancer and you cant take tamoxifen and hrt together so she was forced to stop. Since stopping all her joints have seized up and she gets alot of joint pain plus she is very down (but that may be due to all her health issues and constant itching she has all over).

Im not a fan of Hrt because its synthetic but i thought id let you know what my mum has been through. She is 64.

I have recently opted to take bioidentical hrt which im feeling very good on.

If you stay on hrt just keep exercising and eating healthy and avoid any phytooestrogens eg soy

No one can force you to stop.

Best of luck

Dom

My story: exactly like yours. I went on HRT at around 47 after going to my GP suffering from hot flushes so bad I couldn't concentrate on my work properly as well as feeling dreadful . I had 13 years on HRT with one trial break in between which sent me back scurrying off to the GP as quickly as I could. Then a couple of years ago (I'm now 61) my GP kept saying about coming off, about breast problems, etc. this horrified me as, like you describe, felt totally fine and wonderful. He then put me on a low dose and gradually I came off completely. I suppose for about 6 months. Over the time I have felt increasingly dreadful, hot flushes, night sweats, awake all through the night, sweating & peeing. Aches & pains, fluey symptoms, joints aching, panicky feelings. In short absolutely terrible. This not helping by uninformed "friends" saying things like HRT causes breast cancer. HRT just staves off the inevitable and once you come off it your back to square one!! Well, all I can say is if this was to continue for the rest of my time here I would seriously consider suicide. My GP has put me back on a low dose and so, I'm once again getting it into my system. I've been restarting it for about a week. Please God give me my life back! And thank you so much for your story.

I came off hrt six month ago and have really struggled, I've tried all the herbal methods, I exercise every day, walking , do Pilates and Body Balance classes, play tennis once a week and eat a good diet. 

Ive just decided to go back on hrt two days ago and after reading your comments now feel quite confident to do so. 

I would like to thank you all for expressing your views it's been a great help. 😊👍

I don't think physicians are normally trained to understand research.  The nineties research was deeply flawed.  For one thing the older experimental subjects were given estrogen after they had been off of it for years.  That s a different person than the one who has never been off of it.  But in US physicians are spooked by lawsuits.   I have had a lot of difficulty staying on it.  I am pushing 70.  Up to last year, I was feeling pretty well and taking Premarin .625.  I had little or no arthritis pain, was doing intense lap swims 2x a week and other things and bone density was normal. Then I had an incident of breakthrough bleeding.  Found out I had endometrial hyperplasia.  No abnormal cells though.   They scraped and got rid of the excess tissue and inserted a progesterone IUD.  The insurer didn't pay for it tho they thought it would. So the hospital ate the bill.  I had it done because I was blackmailed.  They wouldn't prescribe estrogen only.  They gave me the estradiol patches which often fall off.  Since progesterone was added i have been feeling lousy.  My arthritis is very painful and some fingers swollen.  I cannot wear my rings.  I dread exercise and have less strength.  Cannot open jars etc.  i have night sweats.  Finally persuaded my doc to give me .5 estradiol oral which is dose recommended for osteoporosis.  That was the whole reason for continuing it.  My mother died in agony due to osteo.  I hope this all works.  I think the progesterone is awful but what can i do.  I do not believe in unnecessary surgery and a hysterectomy because the doc wont give me estrogen is not right.  My female doc agrees that research into women's health issues is awful and no money going into it.  This is the reason they have to rely on old and poorly done studies.

Go, ladies!  So glad to read support for continuing use of oestrogen - forever!!!  We are not all the same, and lack of oestrogen can affect us badly.  Pretend 'natural' rubbish is throwing our money away.  It does not work for us.

Going armed with medical science and pushing back on the flawed research that have become mythical truths for some practitioners can work most of the time.  It lets these practitioners know that we, too, are educated.

When it does not work, that doctor is not worth looking after our health and paying money to so we just move on, and spread the word.

Good on you all!

 

I've just come from the doctors and he ask me how long I intended to stay on Hrt? I answered the queen mother was on Hrt all her life. He suggested Flexitine as the side effects are know to stop hot flushes???

I'm hanging on to my aHrt as after been off for six month and now back on for 21 days feel great, more energy happy within myself I'm back in the human raice the flushes are subsiding I'm hanging on to my Hrt