I was talking to a 68-year-old woman, who asked me if she should start HRT
She had no symptoms of menopause.
She has done really well to get to the age of 68, to have transitioned through menopause without needing any medication or HRT.
She was really active, exercising regularly, eating a varied diet and doing really well. She was not overweight, all her bloods were normal including cholesterol. She was actually enjoying her life!
BUT she heard on the radio that she might be missing out on reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease and osteoporosis, by NOT being on HRT…
And so, she was now really worried, if she was doing the right thing…
Wow… I wanted to give her a big hug and there was so much I wanted to say to her…🤗
I am really glad that we, as a society, are now talking about menopause.
But the menopause conversation went from being a “hush-hush” a decade or two ago, to a bit of a chaos in the last few years (especially in the media)!
And if you’ve been wondering the same, and worried if you should be on HRT…
I hear you!
It must be confusing and a bit unsettling.
But this is what I see as a doctor.
💓 There are women, who have had an amazing experience with HRT and it has literally changed their lives.
💓 Then there are women who have tried HRT and it did not suit them. It gave them side-effects and it did nothing to their menopause symptoms.
💓 There are women who have no significant symptoms and wondering if they should be on HRT because they worry that menopause needs treatment.
💓 Then there are women with health risks who are not safe to have HRT (breast cancer, for example), who are feeling really excluded and frustrated by not being part of the conversation, desperate for effective alternatives.
💓 And then, there are women who choose not to have HRT and do really well with successful lifestyle changes with no significant symptoms.
The truth is,
WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.
Menopause is not a disease, a medical catastrophe, needing treatment.
Menopause is not exactly a natural aging process either. Many women will tell you there is nothing “natural” about how they feel because of their symptoms.
But menopause IS a transition from one hormonal state of a woman to the next one, which needs to happen. And it can take years to get to that next stage of your life.
For some of us, this transition will be smooth and for some of us it will be bumpy.
And we should have this conversation not to scare you, but to empower you to look at solutions.
I am not pro- or against HRT.
But I AM here to help you to find YOUR solution, to make this transition better and gentler for you.
HRT is safer than once perceived, and it should be available to all women. But by no means all women will benefit from it.
As to the prevention of heart disease and osteoporosis, HRT will help some, but it will also cause side-effects and for unlucky some increase the risk of breast cancer with prolonged use.
This is where effective lifestyle changes will help you reduce that risk.
Lifestyle changes are also suitable and safe to ALL women in reducing menopausal symptoms, with or without medication.
That is why you are here to learn about the right nutrition to support your hormones, right exercise to prevent osteoporosis, effective strategies to manage your stress to reduce your symptoms, how to reduce your toxic load…
So that you develop your own menopause “toolbox” and you learn how to use those tools when you go through this transition in life.
So, you will be the expert, when it comes to your health and your menopause 🙂.