Herbal vs Hrt

Premarin and derivatives are still widely prescribed in the U.K. There are many concerns as well as the horrific cruelty involved, and there are many better alternatives, both natural and pharmaceutical.

patient.info/forums/discuss/awareness-is-your-hrt-made-from-pregnant-mares-urine--295878

I used agnus castus. It's a hormone regulator used to balance the hormones you still have. It saw me through some pretty bad excessive bleeding and pain.

I want implants, too, sounds great !!!

Lewlew, sorry it was unclear but what I meant to say was that after a few months my consultant located a source of supply of implants from outside the UK and her patients went back to their usual schedule. I tried all the alternative transdermal methods including gel during the time implants were unavailable but I am happier back on the implants because I don't have to do anything 363 days of the year. I would only take pills as a very last resort should absolutely nothing else be available.

Thanks again esspee..made me laugh too with the bolshy comment. I can feel my militant nana persona coming through.

Esspee A few years ago my GP (woman) who is wonderful told me that again the advice to them had changed...to reduce the dosage, blah blah blah, but it was up to me. So I said, OK, I will give the reduction a go. BAM...what a crash and burn. So she said taper, and I did, that lead to a slower crash and burn LOL!

She said it was stupid to suffer and it was up to me to go back on them if I wanted, so I went back on the normal full oral dose. Then the gel became the 'way to go' for having a full dose to be 'protected' as well as regulating the raging hormones. We both roll our eyes every time they come out with 'new information'. FFS, you can test everything in all kinds of sets of study populations and get all kinds of results.

Love the gel... easy to use. And only the companion progesterone going through my gut now.

Interesting story about the implants... who knows, maybe they will bring them back?

OP, you say you are thinking of trying red clover first. May I ask why, especially as you cannot remember which herbal preparations the doctor told you are dangerous? If red clover worked it would be prescribed by your doctor. Anything will work with a percentage of people, it is called the placebo effect. For medicine to be prescribed in this country it has to go through stringent testing and double blind trials. We are extremely fortunate in this regard.
Do please read the NICE guidelines on the menopause then you will be fully informed on the most up to date advice issued to doctors and you can then make an informed decision.

Patricia, if you google oestrogen implants there is a lot of information there. They were discontinued a few years ago but ladies with low oestrogen levels are a force to be reckoned with. During my last implant procedure a nurse who had been there a long time was telling a trainee nurse how they dreaded being there when the ladies were told there were no more implants. She said they were fearful as we were such a bolshy lot. My consultant located a source from abroad and after a few months everything settled down again.
Lewlew, good advice about tapering off gradually if you want to come off HRT but I can't help wondering why anyone would want to come off. Great to hear you have your life back. I sometimes think that if everyone who has "managed" without HRT could experience the difference then they would be clamouring to join us.
I took a friend to hospital recently and both nursing staff and the surgeon assumed I was her daughter. Fortunately she was unaware of this. There are only seven years between us!

Esspee Great post!

Also, if you are on HRT and want to come off, do NOT suddenly stop, you need to taper. I was advised when doing the pills, to halve them, but one was too small and we could not get a lower dosage, so I went to every other day. If you suddenly stop, the crash can make you feel horrible with all the symptoms returning quickly with a vengeance.

Anyways, my symptoms after the taper did not dissipate so I went back on to get my quality of life back. And my joints and back are much happier as well.

Also I have just come across some research regarding the link between the menopause and development of cardiovascular disease and impaired glucose function both of which I have now been diagnosed with. Why is this most important aspect of menopause not fully known and discussed I wonder?

Brilliant advice and esspee could you post some information on the implants which work so well for you? Many thanks

Hulahop; my daughter takes sage capsules

Re the earlier post how HRT is made, check out you're not doing the one via mares and foals etc. Not good. Most are artificially manufactured. Worth checking out for the sake of those poor horses.
I had an awful time on HRT, constant bleeding etc. Turns out my night sweats and symptoms where down to appendicitis. Who'd have thought that at my ancient age?

Having put up with hot flushes every hour day and night for 11 years and tried every herbal remedy going, I finally went on HRT at the age of 64. My doctor said there are some women who never stop having hot flushes and continue to have them until they die. I truly believe I am one of them. I am on a low dose patch which doesn't completely eliminate them but they are much better. I shall remain on this for the rest of my life and am prepared to take the risk even though my mother died of breast cancer. My patch is oestrogen only as have had a hysterectomy.

Lesley Anne, some of the advice given here, although well meaning, is nonsense. Homeopathy has been scientifically disproved. Most HRT has nothing to do with mares urine these days, Those who sailed through the menopause probably had a natural very gradual reduction of hormones and all those alternative therapies are alternative because they are unproved. Some of them are even downright dangerous.
I had my ovaries removed 28 years ago. The gynaecologist (without my prior approval) inserted an oestrogen implant before stitching me up. Within 24 hours I felt wonderful despite being devastated at losing my ovaries. I had so much energy, my mood was elevated, I felt wonderful! The implant lasted about 4 months and as it got used up I started to feel the way I was before the operation. The second implant felt like I had had my batteries replaced, life again was wonderful.
Now, 28 years later I would not consider life without HRT. When there was a brief dry up in supply of implants I tried all the trans dermal methods. The mini patch was the most acceptable to me but when the implant came back online I was delighted. Two days a year I need to attend the hospital for the minor procedure, the rest of the year I can forget about it. I intend to continue to have the implants for the rest of my life. My consultant is probably the top expert in the UK on the menopause and she is happy with that decision.
My mother SUFFERED from osteoporosis. Thanks to HRT I will never suffer as she did. I had bone scans at 50 and 60, next one is due at 70, two years from now. When I was 60 I was told my bone density was that of a 43 year old.
Do please look up the NICE guidelines on the menopause. This is the NHS latest guidelines on clinical excellence relating to the menopause treatment. If your doctor is hesitant about prescribing HRT then they are well behind the times and you will have the ammunition to challenge them.
Good luck. We don't have to suffer.

I tried sage tea but found it tasted horrible I had acupuncture for flushes which did help ?

I tried sage tea. We had an allotment so grew vast amounts of sage which I eventually dug up and composted!

My daughter was told about sage,she says her flushes have more or less stopped, but any she does get are very mild, worth trying,
Her GP told her to try Black Cohosh, but i have read some bad reports about them
My sister tried evening primrose she said they helped, and her daughter is trying the sage now,

Gillybob,
Pills have to go through the liver, the dosage has to be high because the liver removes so much. Any transdermal form of HRT (implants, patches, gels etc.) avoids the first pass through the liver so are far superior. Pills are cheap but I would never consider using them.

Herbal never worked for me. So I went on to HRT, after 2 months of trying different ones I found one that worked for me and it was great, no more hot flushes night sweats, sleepless nights or mood swings. Stayed on it for 10 years only came off it last year.

Flash fighters are a marvellous alternative to HRT, available from Holland and Barrett. Think they started working after about 6 weeks, but you do have to be consistent with them. Good luck.

I used black coshosh and evening primrose. Took them morning and night time and they sorted me out in terms of hot flushes. But on reflection i wonder if i should have used HRT. I have terrible problems with pain and disfigurement in my toes and also in my finger joints on my right hand. I have heard that HRT can prevent the early on set of arthritic conditions. Not sure if it is too late for me now as i am nearly 65.

sadly for many women its not temporary,it can last for decades and disrupt their lives.I was vegetarian for many years up menopause hit me ,so poor diet wasn't the cause.I dont think blaming women for how their bodies perform is helpful.Some ..like you.. sail through it and thers have ahorrible time .As I said before there is no shame in asking for help when you need it.The risks with HRT are miniscule and sppecialist menopause clinics(not GP's) will say you can stay on it for ever IF it suits you

I didn't want HRT and I didn't really go down the herbal route either, I just rode it out naturally with what I hoped was a reasonably healthy diet - I suffered with hot flushes but they weren't as debilitating as they could have been.
My friend and sister both eat rubbish diets and insisted that they didn't get hot flushes at all. Well, they would, wouldn't they? There was me flushing away and they got off Scott free - or at least that's what they said. I'm still not sure whether to believe them or not. However, remember it's temporary, or should be.

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