HRT For The Old PYT

A mommy makeover sadly doesn't mean that you get a pass on the perimenopause train. Sadly, your decrease in hormones and aging is a non-negotiable. Two years ago, I noticed that my menstrual cycles were becoming less predictable than they once were. The duration changed, and so did the symptoms. And then this past fall, the dreaded time came when I missed my period. Then another one and then another one. When I was younger and did not yet know the hard cold truths of hormones, I thought this would be a good thing. No more worrying about if your time of the month will be on a trip, the cramps, bloating, mood swings (my anxiety is very tied to my hormone fluctuations), and not even having to deal with tampoons anymore. Praise the Lord! Nope..not even close to being right! After the first missed period a couple weeks after, I noticed that out of nowhere, I had a swing of emotions, and my anxiety level was sky high. I could use my tools from therapy and go over what could be causing this. I didn’t have an answer. I went on with the next few days practicing my tools to deal with OCD and anxiety. Then it passed, and I just chalked it up to feeling off. Then the next month came, and BAM! I felt the same feelings I had before. Sky-high anxiety out of nowhere. It clicked in my head that I had recently felt like this before. So I looked at the calendar, and it was exactly a month before that I had felt like this. I also had hot flashes and breast tenderness. But no period. Then it all made sense. I am in perimenopause! And minus the cramps it felt like a rouge pissed off version of my monthly period. You don't know when, how, or when it is coming, but when it does, it is going to kick you in the face and take all the elasticity from it as a bonus.

I had already been researching Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) before my surgery. I used an online company called Midi. It was simple and easy. We decided to try an estrogen patch and oral progesterone. I was on it for a month and felt good. The symptoms of hormonal anxiety had been better. Although since I was going to have surgery in two months, I got off and was going to pick it up after I had recovered. But a huge wrench got thrown into the mix since I had blood clots after my surgery. The research from back in the day said that HRT would increase the risk of blood clots and that if you had previously had them, you would increase your risk of getting them again.

I was super bummed because through my research I read how helpful HRT is for women and that new studies have shown how many health issues are prevented or at least lessened. So I did a little more research with the new studies ( The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver book and podcast) on HRT and found that HRT only increases your risk if you take the Estradiol Pill. Estradiol pills can increase the risk of blood clots because when taken orally, the estrogen hormone passes through the liver, which can trigger the production of more clotting factors, leading to a higher likelihood of blood clots forming compared to other administration methods like patches or gels that bypass the liver. So even though I was not going to take the estradiol pill but was going to use the patch, it was hard to find a place that would prescribe it for me. I had a blood test performed to make sure I did not have a blood clotting disorder. Even though the blood clots were caused by trauma from the surgery and not because of a blood clotting disorder, my nurse still felt uncomfortable with prescribing HRT because she was not up to date on all the new studies of HRT. So it is very important to find a company that has HRT specialists who are up to date on all the new findings. I ended up going with Alloy (link below). She prescribed me Estradiol gel and oral progesterone. So far so good! I'll keep you all posted on how it goes! And if you are struggling with perimenopause symptoms, don't suffer in silence. Do your research and reach out to see if HRT would be a good option for you!

LINKS:

Alloy- Online Menopause Treatment & Relief

My Alloy

The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts

The New Menopause