Menopause Community

Dear Glendamae,
Yours is a difficult situation, and I understand with the history of breast cancer and the clot, that most docs would discourage the use of estrogen therapy. A couple of thoughts to consider (although many oncologists are very reluctant to use anything hormonal). One question would be to consider testosterone therapy (which is off label for women, but is used) or the possibility of trying some DHEA. I would check with your gynecologist and oncologist to see if they would approve of those for you.(the North American Menopause Society on its website, menopause.org, has some helpful information about the use of testosterone.) Another herbal product that is popular in the health food world is something called Hot Plants for Her. So I would do some reading about these options, and discuss them with your docs.
Good luck,
Mary Jane

I'm astounded to hear that someone else - Tilly93455 - showed exactly the same symptoms as me while taking Premarin! Now I know that I'm not crazy. One side of my face went numb and it felt like something was pulling down one corner of my mouth. I thought at the time I was having a stroke; went to the ER for an MRI, CT scan, etc. but results were negative. Doctors suggested trigeminal neuralgia or a Bell's palsy-like condition and prescribed pain meds (helped somewhat) and seizure medication (did not help at all). However, since I had been taking Premarin for some months before the onset of this condition, I didn't put 2 2 together until I quit taking the Premarin. This was 5 years ago and honestly I still have not settled on a solution for hot flashes. Effexor works better than nothing, but just barely. Maybe I've built up a tolerance.

HRT is not a danger but is actually an anti-aging or it assists it delaying aging. I've been taking HRT since I was 29 years old. I haven't yet symptoms of menopause and am super duper feeling fabulicious!

How is your general health, BP, blood sugar, cholesterol? I am 65 and went through menopause fairly late, 56-57, without HRT. I did fine, without too many problems, however as my estrogen levels have dropped my health problems have increased. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high BP. I am relatively thin, eat right and believe there is a direct correlation between my health problems and my estrogen levels.

Dear Beckywv,
You do raise some excellent questions. One of the questions always asked about menopausal health issues is: is the issue related to the lack of estrogen, or just us getting older? and sometimes that's hard to figure out. One's lipid profile does tend to get worse after menopause (LDL goes up, HDL comes down, and triglycerides do go up.) There is also some evidence to show that glucose intolerance may be lessened by estrogen therapy. However, that being said, the official recommendation on hormone therapy is not to take it for health issues: it is recommended basically for alleviation of vasomotor symptoms (IE, hot flashes, night sweats.)
Mary Jane

The decrease in ovarian hormones (as well as other endocrine system hormones) no doubt affects many aspects of health. The most profound effects of ovarian hormone loss have been shown to occur after bilateral oophorectomy (ovary removal) and the younger a woman is at the time of surgery the greater the health risks (as shown by medical studies).

A few women I know who had complete hysterectomies in their 30's said their cholesterol and BP increased quite a bit not long after surgery. Estrogen normalized them. One developed extremely dry eyes and vision loss. Her eye doctor told her it was from the loss of estrogen. She takes estrogen and it stops the hot flashes and helps with other symptoms but doesn't do much for her eyes.

I've been on estrogen since my hysterectomy and my cholesterol and BP are excellent (BP is actually low but always has been) but the loss of my ovaries and inadequate estrogen caused many other problems including severe depression, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, blurred vision, memory loss, loss of motivation and focus, mild hot flashes, the list goes on. After increasing my estrogen, many of these symptoms improved but I still have blurry vision, no appetite and little interest in life. I don't have libido and response either but I think that's mostly from the loss of my uterus. And I aged (on the outside) very quickly post surgery to the point I avoided people.

It seems natural versus surgical menopause oftentimes isn't considered when discussing HRT and they're very different both from a health and quality of life perspective. I personally have no plans to stop HRT since I don't have ovaries.

I have just started reading these posts. Doctor, if hormone therapy is mainly for night sweats and hot flashes, what can I take to alleviate the following: increased weight gain in my mid section (I am 5'7" and 175# now), no control when eating sweets, lack of any and all sex drive, and feeling as though I can not take on the simplest tasks. I am 53, had a partial hysterectomy seven years ago, am on venlafaxine for anxiety and on vesicare for bladder issues. Tell me things can get better than they are. I want to feel better than I do! Thank you.

Most people, including most doctors (it seems anyway), think HRT is primarily for relief of hot flashes and night sweats. But my experience has been that HRT is much more powerful than that. I too had a hysterectomy and everything fell apart.

I became suicidally depressed, anxious, couldn't sleep, lost my taste buds (except for sweets), dry mouth, dry eyes, hair loss, rapidly aging skin, muscle wasting, NO sex drive or response. And this was WITH estrogen but evidently not enough. More estrogen improved all my symptoms except the libido and response and hair and skin haven't recovered.

Since an intact woman's ovaries produce hormones into her 80's to keep her healthy, I plan to take estrogen forever.

Now if I could only get a uterus transplant and reattachment of the nerves and blood vessels to restore my libido and response and my figure

As far as the belly, I have that typical post hysterectomy thick middle too even though I haven't gained any weight. I used to have admirable abs; now I can't stand seeing myself in the mirror. And I've also developed back and hip pain - never had either before.

Forgot to mention - vaginal estrogen (in the form of tablets, cream, or a ring) can restore and maintain healthy vaginal and urethra tissues thereby possibly improving sensation and helping bladder issues.