I am 57 and have just stopped taking HRT after 7 years a...

I am 60 years young, and right with you.... Hrt has giving me a better quality of life, everything is a risk.  Including taking a walk, crossing the street, etc..... My doctor agrees with that theory and I thank God! 

I found the right dose for my body and will continue until whenever the good Lord calls me home !  Prayers and peace, enjoy this life while your here. And just incase I hope my family dresses my body in HRT patches in my grave. 😉

Hi Lady's ,

i wrote a while back I am now 64 came of biodentical estrogen only ( no uterus ) 

was told to stop age 60,now after seeing to my Gino to talk about going back on the meds  ( the one that took me off it)

Also after a seeing on her recommendation a female cardiologist who told me,I will increase my risk of a stroke if I go back on the HRT,but if I want I can give them a try for a max of 3 years.

The Gino just phoned me to say she will write me a proscription for the hormone.

Now I just don't know what to do stepping in again after 4 years no meds ...if I should take the risk or not?

Are there any more Lady's out there in a  simulair situation it would be great to here from you.

Wishing you all well Vanessa.

ps sorry I do not know how to open a new discussion.

Hi Venessa, don't know what to say.. I was only off 4 months and am trying again every other day as I was quite miserable being off it. I also don't know what the latest info is about risk of stroke. I thought it was generally lower than what was reported years ago but could depend on your medical history. There isn't enough research far as I can tell especially with older women such as we are. I'll be 70 in March. If you feel good off of it, that is something to weigh into the decision. If you go on it and feel better, that too is something you'll need to decide. Do you have other factors that could lead to a stroke like high BP or high HDL cholesterol or poor circulation? Can some one scan your carotid arteries to see if there is good blood flow?

Hi Itasara ,

Thanks for your response.

I still do not know what to do...

my HDL( good cholesterol ) is high which is good however my LDL cholesterol is a bit too high..not so good.

I do not smoke and am not over weight my circulation is not so good.

my blood pressure is ok.

when the Gino phoned me we spoke for about 25 min she was very nice and understanding.

I asked her if I was your sister what advise would you then give me,she said if you can do without it don't go back on it.

The dr is 55 and at the moment take HRT herself the female professor cardio is 62 and dose not use it.

I have never heard of a carotid scan may be worth checking out.

Best Wishe 

Vanessa.

Vanessa, you wrote, "my HDL( good cholesterol ) is high which is good however my LDL cholesterol is a bit too high..not so good."  That is pretty my situation and my doctors have said not to worry about it. I think it was an inherited level. No doc wants to give me cholesterol medication. I also am not overweight. My BP is usually fine although sometimes it jumps up when I am at the doctor's office, but that is not too unusual, and I never smoked, and other than MS and one bout of A-Fib three years ago and a D*C for polyps, I am basically in good shape. My circulation could be better if I exercised which I did for years, but have no desire to push myself further.  Maybe you can ask your doctor what harm will come for you going back on it and then coming off if it becomes a problem. On the other hand if you go back on and come off it again could you then have a recurrence of hot flashes, etc? So I guess it comes down to Why do you want to go back on HRT? Also I don't think if it fair for anyone to tell you how long you can stay on it if you go on it and then like it and then 3 years later have to come off it.  Rationally speaking, a lot depends on ongoing assessment and not just algorithms which is how medicine seems to be going these days, at least around here. 

I wonder how you are now?  Did you come off HRT?

I am 67, came off mine last April and thank goodness am feeling ok now.  The hot flushes have diminished to almost nothing, just feel a bit hot now and again.  I started Vagifem nearly two months ago and that has worked a treat, now just using it once or twice a week.  Saw my GP yesterday and she has given me a repeat prescription for it now, got to see her again in six months time.  I am very pleased with the results of that, feel normal again down there.  Sex is better than ever.  I thought it would be much worse when I came off the HRT but hasn't happened.  

Best wishes to you all, I hope you resolve your problems, as I have done.

Elsie.

So happy to find this forum! I've been on the hrt journey a little over 10 years. Had a complete hysterectomy when I was 47 and came out of surgery with the estradiol patch. Transitioned pretty quickly to cream for about a yr then switched to a 2 mg pill. It took a moderate amount of time for my body to adjust but I eventually leveled out. I experienced hot flashes to some extent during my search for the most comfortable method of delivery. The patches seemed fairly effective but I became weary of the itchiness and skin irritation that accompanied. My gynecologist suggested using the cream. I was hesitant as it seemed the dosage would be too arbitrary and I didn't want to use more than necessary. Doctor opined that I couldn't use "too much" and told me to start out with a dot or two and adjust as my body dictated. I played around with the cream for a while. Loved some aspects of it but eventually just felt I wasn't being consistent enough with dosage to remain on an even keel so I opted for the pill route. I possibly wasn't using enough of the cream to calm all symptoms as I rarely exhausted my monthly supply. Once on the 2mg pill my life seemed to be back on an even keel for the most part and I continued somewhat contentedly on that route for a time. My PCP had "suggested" a few times that I might need to be looking for alternative treatment during the time I was still seeing my gynecologist. While I was receptive to his concern, I was also confident in the fact that my life would become hideous without hrt unless he had a good suggestion for an alternative, which he didn't. He suggested cold turkey. My gynecologist had a fit 😯 (Sort of) and told me to go ahead and quit if I wanted to get old, wrinkly skin and osteoporosis sooner than later! So...for a time I have been wrestling with fear of taking hrt and a fear of not taking hrt. Then my gynecologist decided to move away. Without his reassurances that it was ok to keep taking it, I decided to listen to the sage advice of my PCP and try to get off hrt. I tried cold turkey for about a week. No way!! Could not handle it. I don't want to die with hrt induced cancer or suffer heart valve damage but I was thinking "somebody just kill me now" if this is going to be my life. My desire to get off persisted though, so I began a little over a year ago weaning myself off. I began by skipping 1 day a week. That seemed to work ok without undue distress. Eventually I ramped up the "skipping" alternate days but got a bit too zealous and started having pretty serious symptoms again. Trial and error and consulting with my new PCP I've most recently settled into a routine of alternating days between 1 mg and 1/2 mg. I'm just preparing to start my next step/ down but just had one of those "light bulb came on" moments that has me searching the Internet at 1:00 in the morning. My step down plan seemed to be working out with very little of my "normal" symptoms (hot flashes, weird sensations in my head and just generally feeling crappy). Here's the part of my long, long story that prompted me to respond to your particular post. I've had mild to moderate hip pain off and on throughout this whole journey, but I've never really connected it with hrt. In the last 6 months the hip (and now lower leg) pain has worsened to the point of getting x-rays and physical therapy, neither of which has provided any answers or relief. Next up is an MRI, but tonight the ??came on when I read your comment about the pain in your legs. I'm interested to hear if others have experienced this and what remedies they might have tried besides otc or prescription pain meds. I'm tempted to resume my hrt to see if the pain goes away but I hate to have to restart the weaning off process if my ?? is just a weary brain making a wrong connection.

Hi Patsy, just read your report and I must clarify something. I was reading other reports where the ladies were having pains in their joints so I went to the doctors thinking they were connected with HRT, but no, It was diagnosed as osteoarthris. I still have it and now I am back in England I have just had another ex-Ray and getting blood test tomorrow morning. I don't think it is connected to HRT. I have been off HRT for six months now,I have been taking a multi vitamin and b12 to help. At the moment I am taking Tramadol/Paracetamol for the pain mostly in my hands and wrists, this is excellent and I feel great only I have lost my labedo and everyone says they are really strong. So that is what made me go to the doctors here in England. 

I would like to go back on HRT because you only live once and I am only 67 I may live another 20 years yet. I am going to suggest reducing the HRT that I was on, or using a spray Estrogel in the morning and Progesterone tablet at night, a relative uses this. I know it may not suit me but I feel I need to go back on as It makes me feel human and not old, old and decrepit. Patsy it is your decision but my decision is to try and get back on it using a different one or different method of taking it and hopefully I will not hemerage again after six months.