Dealing with the Effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy

Menopause...When I was 36 I had a hysterectomy. During the first year, I didn't think that I would ever get on a "hormone" that would make me feel normal. I felt so tired and just wiped out all of the time. After the first year, my Dr started me on Estratest. It was wonderful. It's a combination of estrogen and testosterone. I felt really great. Then, all of the negative information started coming out about hormone replacement therapy and cancer. So, I tried to go without my hormones and I think my kids probably thought that an alien had taken over their mom's body.

I eventually realized that I just couldn't make it without my hormones! At first, the hot flashes weren't that bad, but the mood swings were terrible. The older I got, the worse the hot flashes became. I tried all of the herbal over the counter "natural" blends but nothing helped the hot flashes. I would sleep with a bowl of ice and a washcloth on my night stand. So, I was back on the hormones again and doing well. The field of medicine can never decide what's good for us. First hormones are good, then they are bad, then they are good. They increase the risk of some cancers, but they protect against osteoporosis and probably heart disease. So, what's a woman to do? So, I stopped taking them again.

This year, I turned 45. I feel like my body knew it was time for "menopause" even though I had had a complete hysterectomy. I had made it through almost 2 years without any hormones and the hot flashes were getting better but my mood became horrible! I was hateful, I opened my mouth and things would just come out! I embarrassed my mom and sister at the mall with the obnoxious things that would come out! Plus, I was becoming a nervous wreck. So, off to the Dr I went again. She wanted to know why I wasn't taking my hormones. So, being a nurse, I gave her all of the "right" reasons. I don't want to have a heart attack or stroke, I don't want to get cancer, and the most important thing, I don't want to gain 10 pounds. She convinced me that a "low" dose of estrogen would be beneficial for me. So, I have started back on a low dose estrogen, and in addition, I have a new prescription friend called Lexapro. It has mellowed me.... And I am sure that my friends and family are very pleased with this. So, I suppose I am protecting myself from osteoporosis and possibly heart disease but who knows. I suppose the next 30 years will tell the tale.......