As much of a saviour as it is, coming off hormone replacement therapy can sometimes feel like you’re heading backwards. Here’s what you can do about it
The menopause is one of life’s certainties, a natural event for every woman, when menstruation ceases and the ovaries stop producing oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
Across the UK, 13 million women are perimenopausal or postmenopausal. 60% will experience symptoms* including hot flushes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, anxiety, brain fog and dry eyes. Symptoms last, on average, about four years.
‘Often women suffer for a long time and aren’t able to cope,’ says GP Dr Radhika Vohra, trustee to The Menopause Charity.
In the UK, 14 million workdays are lost to menopause annually**. This is where HRT can offer a lifeline.
‘Short-term, HRT brings relief from the debilitating symptoms,’ says Dr Vohra. ‘Long-term, HRT can reduce your risk of dementia, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease, and be hugely beneficial to your health.’
WILL SYMPTOMS RETURN?
HRT controls symptoms by replacing declining hormones. ‘The menopause doesn’t go away because you’re on HRT,’ explains Dr Vohra. Coming off means you’re no longer topping up levels, so symptoms may return, especially if you go ‘cold turkey’. However, each woman reacts differently. Some will be absolutely fine. ‘Some will come off and be OK for a few months then there’s a reemergence of symptoms. Others will come off and, within a month, the hot flushes are back, they feel rubbish, they feel lost,’ adds Dr Vohra. It doesn’t mean you should avoid it.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO STOP
In the past, links between HRT and certain illnesses caused panic. Dr Vohra believes this is largely due to flawed data*** released 20 years ago.
‘The study showed a marked increase in heart attack, stroke and breast cancer in women who took HRT, but the data wasn’t fully analysed,’ says Dr Vohra. ‘It didn’t take into account that the women were taking synthetic hormones at an older age or their lifestyle risk factors. Overnight, women were taken off HRT. It did two decades of damage.’
New research shows risks are low when taking body-identical hormones, especially via a cream, gel, patch or spray. Meanwhile, other factors, such as obesity, smoki
