Every time I have a miserable night’s sleep, and last night was the fifth in a row that I had to take Ambien to knock me out, I reconsider taking hormones for relief of the hot flashes and the associated anxiety that keeps me awake all night and cranky during the day. It would be SOOO easy and I’d feel better in no time. Even my doctor takes them! But then all I have to do is read the latest article in the Harvard Women’s Health Watch newsletter that I now subscribe to. They published an excellent article that revisits hormone therapy’s risks and benefits based on data from the government’s “massive” postmenopausal hormone trials. The article’s bottom line? ”Hormone therapy should be taken for the shortest time possible and at the lowest effective dose, although we don’t know whether lower doses are actually safer.” This view is echoed by six different organizations including the FDA, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). When a woman begins taking hormone replacement - that is, the gap between the onset of menopause and when she began taking hormones –is proving to be a risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and blood clots, and breast cancer as is whether she took estrogen alone or combined it with progestin. My bottom line? I don’t want to put my health at risk and I will try complementary and alternative medicine for relief. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), which is part of the NIH, (and the Federal Government’s lead agency for scientific research on CAM) concedes that “there’s very little scientific evidence the supports the effectivness of CAM therapies for menopausal symptoms, but they may provide some relief to women during the menopausal transition.” That’s good enough for me!
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1. I have a different take on all this, but I admit, I am not in the mainstream. Now 52, I apparently slid through “the change” without even noticing and by the ripe young age of 46, no more periods. YEAH!!!
However, this came as a shock to me, being so young. Everything just stopped. It was a that point that my gynocologist “suggested” HRT’s. I was again, shocked. Why would I need that? I felt fine. Also, came the requisite bone density test. Again, I was not prepared for any of this, but I did what I was told. Another shock - my bone density was horrible - “that of an 80 year old woman”. I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t make sense. I dont’ “look” like I have weak bones, and although I fit the classic profile of a high-risk osteoperosis victim - tall, thin, white female, I still did not believe what I was hearing.
My doctor insisted I go on a complete regimen of HRT’s plus Fosimax, Calcium supplements, weight-bearing exercise, blah, blah, blah.
His comment to me was that if I did not go on, and STAY on the HRT’s forever, it would be “the worse mistake of my life”. The ultimate threat.
I had absolutely zero menopausal symptoms, felt great, but there was this pesky osteoperosis issue. So, I did what he said, reluctantly, at least for awhile. But, there was, and still is, SO much conflicting information regarding HRT’s, that I decided to change doctors and found one that told me what I wanted to hear. Go off the HRT’s, stay with the rest of it.
Its now 6 years later, I’ve been through 2 more bone density checks, and each time, my density has improved to the point where I am now considered average for a woman my age.
So, my doctor and I have decided to take a break from the Fosimax (i had switched to the monthly Boniva) for 2 years, and see if I can keep up my bone mass by myself.
However, I still hear in the background “you’re making the biggest mistake of your life”.
So, I continue to wonder whether I’m making the right decision to stay off all the HRT’s. I feel great., exercise, control my weight (for the most part), take my vitamins, etc. As for sleep, which clearly is a problem for most people, I have to confess that I take Tylenol PM, and it works great. I, too, cannot function without my sleep and this does the trick for me with no apparent other consequences.
As for as I’m concerned, the post-menopausal life is great! So what if I’m 5 or 10 pounds heavier. No more bloody, smelly mess, (not to be too graphic), or surprises, no more worrying about pregnancy.
As for sexual lubrication, KY has come out with fabulous products which I don’t know how we lived without.
I’m still new at this, but so far, I’m doing ok.
I just don’t know what to make of the HRT controversy and so, my choice is to do nothing until I can be given a good-enough reason to make HRT’s a part of my life.
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