HRT questions

[white_hart]

People who take/have taken HRT for menopause symptoms, can I ask how you've found it? My GP suggested that menopause might be exacerbating my existing mental health problems and contributing to the current kablooeyness, and asked me to think about whether I'd like to try HRT. My first reaction was no, because I've never wanted to go on HRT - I had a horrible time on hormonal contraception and worry it would actually just make my mental health worse, and also I was so delighted to be over the whole thing that I hate the idea of having to take medication for something I welcomed so much. (Plus some complicated gender feels about HRT making me more woman and less genderless goblin, which I should probably just try to get over because I can't change my endocrine system by willpower alone.)

But...what if the tiredness and brain fog aren't just because I've been under continual extreme stress at work for three years, and have had various non-work stresses as well? What if it is to do with menopause and HRT would help? (I was ranting the other week about medicalisation of normal life stages and capitalism not letting people just have less energy at some life stages than others, but however true that is it doesn't change the fact that capitalism is the ocean I'm swimming in.)

Anyway. What is your experience of HRT? In particular, has anyone had good experiences with HRT after bad experiences with hormonal contraception?

Comments

[mrs_redboots]

I, too, had an easy menopause and got through it on evening primrose oil and dong quai alone. The menopause nurse at our health centre was on board with this, and said if it didn't work to come back, but all was well. But we are all different, and react differently to different things. All you can do is give it a whirl, and remember, there are different sorts of HRT, not just one-size-fits-all. Worth reminding whoever is prescribing for you of your early history of not getting on with hormonal contraception (nor did I, although I was sort-of all right on the mini-pill).