HRT
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » EDS Lounge

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2005 10:27 am

What does everyone think of hormone replacement therapy? I'm thinking of starting (near 50). I've read on MEDLINE it is good for mental processes and wrinkles. I don't believe the WHI study. I read the paper and the data on breat cancer is "nearly statistically significant"
i.e. NOT. I think low dose is probably good.

What does anyone else think (I know that most of you are younger and probably haven't thought about this yet).

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2005 12:06 pm

my mum is 65 and has been on different HRT for the last 7 years or so. She swears it gave her a new lease of life in terms of energy etc. I don't think her skin improved much, but it is hard to tell because she has severe sun damage (she lives out doors) and has had weight fluctuations and health problems. She was very unhappy before going on it, I know that and I will definately be taking it when my time time comes for the protection it confers and the easing of symptoms. If it makes me look better, then great, if not, so what!

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2005 7:00 pm

I'm 53 and having difficulty with migraines and night sweats/freezing. I should've been more sympathetic with my older friends who went on and on about menopause, which I hadn't started at the time. Now I know why they were constantly bitching!!! One dear friend who was on HRT now has to take ramoxifen for pre-cancerous breast growths. I smoke so am not a good candidate for HRT (plus I had a pulmonary embolism after taking birth control pills for only one month in my youth). My friends who were on HRT and then stopped when the bad news came out ALL resumed classic menopausal symptoms. So it seems to me that HRT only forestalls symptoms and doesn't eliminate them. I think it's considered safe to try it for 5 yrs. or less, though, if your symptoms are utterly unbearable. But be sure to have a complete physical first!

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2005 7:49 pm

M.April: You said your friends symptoms came back after they stopped taking HRT (is that correct). Or did they stop because it stopped helping after 5 years?
Thanks

free skin care · Mon May 16, 2005 9:33 pm

I started taking HRT in my early fifties for lack of energy, night sweats and extreme emotional sensitivity. After taking them my mood stabilized, more energy and night sweats left.

Bad news: I had unbelievable migrains. Mad

I started gaining weight and got a very blotted look in my face. After much research and advice from my doctor I stopped taking HRT. I began taking a high concentrate of soy: http://www.soy.com/Rivival-Soy-Bars.html. After one week of a soy shake or bar every day I no longer had night sweats. I started a vigorous course of exercise and felt wonderful. I encourage anyone to read in full all about this product. It works and the bonus is that it does wonders for your skin, hair, nail, weight, heart,bones. I am now post menopause and feel wonderful and continue to have a soy shake or bar for my lunch everyday.

Winnie

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 2:37 am

I keep trying to get my mother-in-law to have soya and some vitamins, I have to listen to her telling me she's pre menopausal. I keep telling her she's far too young (40's) and it's hormonal, plus her terrible diet of microwave meals, lots of bread and chocolate doesn't really help.
I hope I'm not as headstrong when I'm her age
Laughing

Hope she doesn't read this I will be in serious trouble!!!!
Good luck to all of you anyway Very Happy

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 8:00 am

Winnie: I eat a lot of soy and flax. I've been on a low glycemic index diet for almost 2 years and it has cured my high blood pressure and diabetes and really reduced wrinkles (though at first I got adult acne). I don't have severe symptoms I just want to keep my mental functions sharp and deal with insomnia. I just read a paper (Sherwin,
"Estrogen an Memory..", Hormones and Behavior 47 (3) pg. 371, Mar. 2005.) that suggests that there is a critical window right at the beginning of menapause that you need to replace estrogen or you will lose mental function. The paper is from a great researcher at a great institution (McGill University) I believe this department to be one of the premier institutions on women's health in the world. The paper suggests the product delivered transdermally is best.

I appreciate everyones comments. I'd like to hear how many people fared on HRT and any side effects before I begin (likely this summer). I had one mammography but because I haven't had one in many years they want another in six months before I start HRT. I will keep having them maybe every 6 months to start just to make sure but I do not believe there is any risk from the newer "low dose" products.

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 8:53 pm

I disagree with the use of hormones for a normal function such as menopause. I think once you start messing around with the body's chemistry all sorts of things begin to happen years down the road. I would rather go through it naturally.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 12:32 am

Sharky, most of my older friends had been on HRT for many years, but when the Women's Health Study data were made public, their physicians ceased therapy. They all liked how HRT had alleviated their symptoms, and were dismayed when they returned. They're still experiencing hot flashes, decreased energy levels, insomnia, etc.

As far as "brain fog" goes, I don't know what to tell you -- I'm no expert. But I CAN tell you that doctors generally bought into the conventional wisdom about HRT and in a sense, pushed these drugs on menopausal women. It's my belief that they were only giving Baby Boomer women what they wanted, which was painless menopause and the promise of extending their youth.

My mother is 90 years old, and while she began to fail mentally fairly sharply about 3 years ago, this may be due more to recently diagnosed congestive heart failure, so you are very wise to be concerned about your blood pressure NOW. But her beloved OB/GYN, way back when, adamantly refused to prescribe hormones to his patients, reflecting a philosophy similar to SusieQ's: menopause is not a disease, but one of life's passages. My older sister (by 10 yrs.) went through hell during her menopause in spite of being on HRT, but now feels great. So I take heart in that, that there is relief eventually. I think the homeopathic approach you're taking is admirable, and may be the best way to handle it in the long run. If it doesn't help your transition, at least proper diet is a great lifestyle choice. Good luck!!!

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 8:20 am

Maybe it is a natural process but there is a quick measureable decrease in mental ability (not senility) without hormone replacement. They gave people tests before and after hysterectemies and saw large bad decreases (paper I referenced above and references therein) also studies with women at different numbers of years after menopause with and without different types of hormone therapy. I make my living from my brain and would take whatever I need to not lose it. I do want to be aware of the problems people have though. Also I do not view menopause as "natural" so we shouldn't do anything, we were likely not designed to live much past this so systems fail. Anyway most people here want to use creams to avoid wrinkles, acne and dry skin. They are just as natural processes as menpause

"Do not go quietly etc....."

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 12:23 pm

Quote:

Maybe it is a natural process but there is a quick measureable decrease in mental ability (not senility) without hormone replacement

Sharky,

That explain a lot about what is going on with me. Laughing

Good excuse when I screw up Wink

Honestly, I feel great without HRT. My husband tell me I don't miss a trick. Hope it continues. Pray

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 12:33 pm

sharky wrote:

Maybe it is a natural process but there is a quick measureable decrease in mental ability (not senility) without hormone replacement. They gave people tests before and after hysterectemies and saw large bad decreases (paper I referenced above and references therein) also studies with women at different numbers of years after menopause with and without different types of hormone therapy. I make my living from my brain and would take whatever I need to not lose it. I do want to be aware of the problems people have though. Also I do not view menopause as "natural" so we shouldn't do anything, we were likely not designed to live much past this so systems fail. Anyway most people here want to use creams to avoid wrinkles, acne and dry skin. They are just as natural processes as menpause

"Do not go quietly etc....."

I like your philosophy. Child birth is also natural but I tell you I accepted whatever they wanted to give me to alleviate the pain.I don't regret it one bit. Anyone who thinks it is natural to squeeze something that weighs 5lb upwards out of that tiny little hole wants their head tested. Shock

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 8:21 pm

m.april, what do you mean that your sister went through hell? Define that. Before or after menopause? Just curious as to what everyone means when they say, "going through a bad time" or " had a hard time to get through it".

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 9:28 pm

Hi SusieQ - my sister felt generally lousy during menopause. She had the usual, classic complaints of menopausal women, but to a greater degree. She gained even more weight (which has been a problem for her for a long time). She became hypertensive, and also developed Lupus-like symptoms. Her physician had a difficult time trying to achieve tolerable HRT dosages, as my sister (Susan!) was quite a wreck and nothing seemed to help her.

But now that she's post-menopausal, she looks and feels MUCH better, has a brighter outlook, and has lost weight. She's practically a different person than she was during those rough years!

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 10:19 pm

My mom is still currently going through it, and for her , I know it is still hell. It has been about 6 years now. I think the worst of it was 2 years ago, when she gained weight. She managed to lose the weight with WW, and a lot of walking, but the other symptoms remain. I don't think she has slept well in 6 years. She wakes up every night at 3 am and that's it. She is still having hot flashes...at first this seemed funny to me, but then I started to realize how awful it must be. She will literally be out doing her own thing, when all of a sudden she feels like she is in an oven and she is so hot that she wants to sit in the freezer. The other thing is her mood swings. One minute she is fine, then super angry, then crying. These mood swings happen a few times per day. I think it bothers her more than the people around her as she feels totally out of control. Due to her blood pressure, she is not a good candidate for HRT. She does drink a lot of soy milk though. I just pray that this is not hereditary...although I think it is...

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 11:52 pm

I started an early menopause at the age of about 24 and so I have been on and off HRT for the last 9 years.

For me the Dr basically said that I have to view the HRT as something that at my age I should still be producing naturally, so for the time being I am fairly happy to take it.

I have tried acupuncture and this did help with the hot flushes, but didn't eradicate them. I have also tried dietary means instead of HRT but I also have Crohns Disease so I am quite limited in what I can eat Sad

The worst symptom for me has to be the sweats. I can be sat at my desk at work and wham bam the sweat on me is so intense you could wring me out and fill a bucket. I totally understand what your Mom means Faith when she says she feels like she is in a oven, it feels as though someone has lit a match inside you and the heat is soooo intense.

I am hoping that it will be over soon..... Very Happy

T x

free skin care · Thu May 19, 2005 12:15 am

I had no idea that you could have such early menopause. Shock

This sounds awful! I hope, for your sake, that it is over soon too!!

free skin care · Thu May 19, 2005 7:41 am

Cheeks: so sorry to hear of your condition. You might want to look into taking the supplement Resveratrol. It is a pseudo estrogen but unlike others including soy it has a cancer protective action. I take it and it might help you.

Faith: I had very high blood pressure until I started the listed diet above. Within 3 weeks it was back to normal, within 6 months it went to it's current value of 110/58. It might be worth trying. It works particularly well for people who are bordering on blood sugar problems which probably includes half of all perimenopausal/menopausal women. Lipoic acid also helps with blood sugar control.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 5:09 am

sharky wrote:

Cheeks: so sorry to hear of your condition. You might want to look into taking the supplement Resveratrol. It is a pseudo estrogen but unlike others including soy it has a cancer protective action. I take it and it might help you.

Thanks Sharky - I shall look out for it. Smile

T x

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.