When I first considered HRT my gyno told me that there was a small, but statistically significant higher risk of breast cancer. She also said there is a small, but statistically significant lowering of the risk of colon cancer. My mother died of colon cancer but I don’t expect HRT to help me there although it would be nice…
TMI warning: I haven’t had a period in 2 years and have only mild hot flashes, but sex has become really painful. Do any of you just use the estrogen cream (no patch or pill)? If so, what has been your experience with it? I have been reluctant to take anything up to this point, but I think I may have to try something hormonal, as OTC stuff doesn’t really address the problem.
I was worried about the fat to the middle thing. I haven’t noticed it’s any worse, but I’m setting my goals low, as I started with a column body + apple shape and I’m still there. I’m actually thinner post-menopause, but it’s not a “look lithe and thin”…more like old and withering…
Premarin is the horse urine stuff, and that’s the first one my dr. prescribed, 4 years ago. I was somewhat uneasy with that choice, but it made me feel awful. It stopped the hot flashes, but also made my breasts feel like heavy bricks. I had that feel 3 out of 4 weeks my whole life; didn’t want it anymore.
Also tried the combo estrogen/progesterone bill. I felt it did nothing. I currently take estradiol and progresterone (because I still have my uterus). I’m not sure I feel that much different if I miss a few days. I only have hot flashes when I’m really stressed about other things going on. I was hoping it’d help my skin, which has horrible collagen and elasticity. I’m not sure it has.
I am reading this thread with great interest. But, first, let me say, @Massmomm, I’m not able to help you but I hope someone else responds.
I do have the same feelings as @busdriver11 and @SouthFloridaMom9 sometimes…I find myself yelling at other drivers when I’m in the car, at my electronics when they’re not responding the way I want them too, etc. And, sometimes some insecurity as well. These thoughts and reactions are new to me. I finally made it through menopause and have gained about 7 pounds that I just can’t lose. It’s definitely all in my midsection. Not the end of the world but I really don’t like it. Could hormones help with this? It had never crossed my mind as something that would help or even be a possible option.
I can’t help with hormone therapy…my mom had breast cancer after using patch for years and I just can’t find my way to going there. Still it is nice to hear that others are going through the way I am feeling and that I’m not crazy.
The other night as I lay in the bath and felt sad…for no reason…worried…beyond what I should be …and unable to get in the Christmas spirit…I called my husband over and tried to explain to him that I don’t want to feel this way and don’t know why I feel this way and please understand and just love me anyway. He was sweet and understanding as he could be, but it is reassuring to hear from others who can really relate.
I had a hysterectomy at age 45 because of massive fibroids and continuous heavy bleeding. Only my uterus was removed, leaving my ovaries behind. I went through menopause around the time I turned 50 (measured by a blood test since I wasn’t having periods anymore). I had terrible hot flashes and night sweats, very similar to what my mother had around the same age. My gynecologist put me on the Minivelle bioidentical estrogen patch and it has worked wonders for me as far as getting rid of hot flashes as well as vaginal dryness for the past seven years. However, I have very little sex drive and feel mildly depressed all the time. I have also put on 7 or 8 pounds, which I can never seem to lose. Based on what I’m reading here, this might be more about being post-menopausal than about hormone replacement therapy.
@Massmomm – before you go for the cream, you might try this product-- it is cheap and it really worked for me to ease dryness - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B3P4BS/ - these are just small soft pellets with Vitamin E and coconut or palm oil – I don’t even use a full one, I break them in half. I also take regular oral vitamin E supplements.
I actually have also just started using the prescripton premarin cream for another problem, and I am very happy with it - but the cream is very expensive (more than $350 for a small tube) – and I am only using a tiny bit, much less than the amount that would be suggested for the problem you are describing. The thing is – even with the amount I am using, I’ve noticed significant effects - definite improvement in my facial skin, even though the cream is not being applied anywhere near my face. I’m age 62, well past menopause – didn’t use any type of hormonal supplementation before – but the point is that even a teensy amount of hormone seems to be having an effect that is more than topical. So if you do opt for the estrogen cream, you might want to take a gradual approach with it and see how it goes.
I had an interesting situation arise yesterday and am wondering if anyone else on Minivelle has had this issue - last Wednesday I called in a refill for my Minivelle to CVS, but indicated I would not be picking it up until Sunday. I didn’t make it Sunday, and Monday I got a call from CVS, saying the Minivelle patch is on backorder from the manufacturer! Egads! I have one left to change for tomorrow, then won’t have anything for Sunday. I thought I was being really proactive in ordering it many days before I ran out. I leave Saturday to go out of town and won’t be back until Thursday. CVS said the soonest the manufacturer is thinking it will be back on the shelves is 12/6. So I called my GYN’s office to ask them if they have any samples that I could pick up. They said they rarely get any patch samples anymore. CVS also said there was a generic for Minivelle, and my GYN e-prescribed the generic for me, so I need to go pick it up, but really… the manufacturer is backordered for at least a week, and CVS waited until a day after I was supposed to pick up prescription to let me know they wouldn’t have it?
So tonight was I was going through our bathroom cabinet, I found some old patches of the highest strength patch I was started on almost two years ago, and it’s actually double the strength of what I’m taking now. I suspect I could just cut the patch in half and use it, except the ‘use by’ date is 11/16, so I’m not sure what to do. I will likely call the pharmacist tomorrow and ask them if I can use up the higher dosage, cut in half and hold off until they get the name brand patch back in stock.
I tell you, for several hours when I wasn’t sure I was going to have any patches after Sunday, until who knows when, I started to panic a bit. I do NOT want to have to be without it! I’m guessing I’m not the only post-menopausal woman who is worried about their ‘fix’ right now if this manufacturer backorder lasts too long!
I don’t know specifically about the patch, but the “use by” date on pharmaceuticals is generally a very conservative number-- so in general the product will probably be good for many months or even years after that date. (For good reason from the viewpoint of the manufacturer) The worst that happens is a gradual loss of potency – so you probably are very safe to use something with a use by date of 11/16. It’s not as if it suddenly loses potency on December 1.
(It’s when you go through your cabinets and find stuff with use by dates from 2014 and earlier that you know its time for some housecleaning).
I have been in surgical menopause for 15 years thanks to endometriosis and hysterectomy (one of the best decisions I ever made - don’t regret it for a moment). I don’t really have a good sense of how women in my family go through menopause, since my mom also had a hysterectomy.
I am not on any hormones. My doctor wanted me to go 6 months without HRT to burn out the remaining endo, and here we are 15 years later and he stopped asking (I’ve since switched practices due to his insistence on trying to get me on Fosamax … another post, for sure). I decided against HRT mostly because of the health risks.
I’m 50. So far so good. There are times I get very emotional, but I’ve kind of always been that way. And, hello, I have a daughter who will go off to college in less than two years. I can start crying right now (watch me!) thinking how much I will miss her. I have the occasional hot flash, but nothing that I can’t live with. Let’s not talk about the 15 pounds I’ve gained, lol - it’s harder to lose it, that’s for sure, but I’m not sure how much of it is natural aging and how much can be specifically attributed to menopause.
Personally, I believe menopause is a natural stage of life. I know I haven’t answered your question, but that’s also something to consider as you travel this road. Good luck with whatever you decide!
Ok, this discussion makes me feel not so crazy. I had to go off the patch this summer because of a weird Pap result and noticed being over emotional. My gyn - a man - told me that HRT has no effect on emotions. So untrue. I was also kept awake b both hot and cold(!) flashes.
After further testing, there was no problem found and he put me on Duavee. This is oral, and has an estrogen plus some weird synthetic that is supposed to block progesterone receptors I think and be even more protective for reproductive cancers. Well, it did zilch for hot flashes and made my stomach upset. While I preferred taking a pill, I am using Combipatch again. I hate the stupid stickers because they tend to not stick but at the same time leave a glue behind. They make me gain a little fluid weight but not actual fat.
(@teriwtt Yes, you can cut the patches in half. My PCP actually recommended that. Also, combipatch went on back order earlier this year and nobody had it. It was very frustrating I totally hear you!)
Another voice for cutting the patch in half. When MD was tapering me off vivelle dot, she suggested that I cut the remaining patches in half versus paying for a new proscription of lower dose.
I am glad the combi-patch (once a week) has returned. It was gone for a while, and I used climara-pro (twice a week) , and then minivelle (twice a week) plus a daily progesterone pill and had trouble remembering to do it all. My insurance is weird-- pays very little (like $5) of the cost of the patch ($172/mo) BUT these last 3 mos have been free (Oct, Nov and Dec). Will decide if I’ll go back to paying in January. I do sleep better and the hot flashes had returned, but I can live with that.
Yes, a third vote here. I doubt that the higher concentration is going to significantly affect how the active ingredient gets absorbed. Plus, the expiration date of 11/16 means the patches are still good in December. It is not like the API will magically turn into a turnip when the clock will strike midnight today. If the patch has a shelf life of more than a few months at room temperature, it should still be good. I would use it in a heartbeat.
(We cut painkiller patches for our dog when he was being weaned off them after spinal surgery. Had to wear gloves to avoid exposing myself to the painkiller!)
The thing is, taking hormones or not seems rather complicated. There are a number of different things you can take, and many different approaches. I would not consider anything other than what my Longevity clinic does, because that’s what I’m familiar with, however, that’s just because of what I’m familiar with. I would absolutely at least start with someone who is an expert on BHRT.
I’d say about half the ladies over age 50 in my job use BHRT, and it’s not just to counter the effects of menopause. My doctor tells me to slightly increase the amount of testosterone I use when I have to work (I work with almost all men). 
When I started the program, I wasn’t even close to menopause, and I believe I still am not there (unfortunately). My PCP (who doesn’t prescribe my hormones) told me to go off the birth control pill. “C’mon, you’re 53, you’re old! You don’t need to be on the pill!” Um…no. I’m not gonna take a chance on that until the blood tests say I can’t get pregnant. I came back for a follow up appointment, and she asked me worriedly, “You didn’t stop taking the pill, did you?” Of course not! 
I can’t speak for the effects of estrogen, since I’ve never taken it (except for the low dosage in the pill). But I’m not really comfortable with doctors who prescribe purely based upon symptoms. As my longevity doctor says, “If you don’t test, you don’t know!” And she adjusts the amount of cream I apply based upon what my blood tests indicate.
“Gosh this jumped out at me @busdriver11!! That’s what caught my attention . . . exactly how I feel lately. I’ve always been a little angsty but wow, it’s off the chain lately. Weight is up. Tired but can’t sleep. You have seriously motivated me to check this out.”
@SouthFloridaMom9, I do hope you check this out, and find something that works for you. But for me, the only hormones that I went back on after I stopped because I was trying to narrow down what was causing my palpitations, was progesterone, testosterone, the birth control pill (low estrogen) and vitamin D. It sounds like most others here are using just estrogen, or estrogen and progesterone. Probably a lot of people take vitamin D, I’d assume. My doctor measures my blood for it and is giving me 2000 IU right now, it is definitely a mood enhancer and most people don’t take enough.
I believe my real mood enhancer is testosterone, and even though women need that, I don’t think it’s the usual thing for doctors to prescribe it. It also helps with belly fat, though I feel I have too much. Probably if I exercised like Bunsen and dmd77, I wouldn’t have to take hormones at all! I also NEED melatonin to stay asleep, cannot sleep well without it. Progesterone seems to really help with sleep, also.
@busdriver, I’m intrigued by your reference to your “longevity clinic”…how did you find it? Does it go by other names? I live in/near a major metropolitan area that seems likely to be the type of place that would have such a thing but I’ve never heard of it.
Also, for those people taking prescriptions that are costly out of pocket…some wonderful person here on CC mentioned goodrx. You can enter online or through their app your exact drug and it will show you your cost at places local to you. The difference can be quite dramatic. I had been paying $75 for retin a (not covered by my insurance) and now get it for $29 at CVS with goodrx. We’re about to move to a less generous health plan and I will definitely be comparing what I’ll be paying with our new insurance to what I’d pay with goodrx for the meds I take.
@busdriver11 - now that you mention it I took testosterone for a little while after visiting my gyn a couple years ago. I’m not sure why she put me on that (?). The one thing I noticed is that my brain felt a little sharper. I seemed to have a little more drive to get stuff done. Sounds crazy. But I didn’t take anything else with it, and I ran out. I may have to look at that again.
My mom went through all kinds of drama with a-fib (including two procedures, various drugs, etc.) and I always wondered if it didn’t start somewhere with her hormones (but then got worse as time went on). But she would tell me that her doctor said her hormones were “within range”.
I used estrogel for about 2 years when first going through perimenopause. LOVED it. Happy, confident, beautiful feeling, no hot flashes etc. I am mostly off of it now but occasionally when hot flashes/sleep issues rear up will use a dose. I also have a testosterone cream I use occasionally. as needed.
@collage1, I found my clinic because I was listening to the doctor who owns it, speak on his radio show, for years. He is truly brilliant, just listening to his thought process of how he helps people with their problems is enlightening. Of course part of his show, he is advertising his clinic, but he truly believes in it. This kind of medicine has been fairly accessible to wealthier people over the years, but now is becoming more commonplace for the rest of us, I think.
The clinic website is: https://www.longevitymedicalclinic.com/. They are around the Seattle area.
One lady I worked with goes to Suzanne Somers doctor in LA, I think it’s a similar sort of thing. I believe you can probably find this type of doctor in major metropolitan areas, particularly on the east and west coast. My only objection is that at my clinic, they really encourage you to take a lot of supplements. After my palpitations, I cut it down to only whatever was critical, and didn’t have any potential side effects. I’m really not interested in taking three handfuls of supplements a day!