I'm so scared-Please share your experiences with HRT

Hello all,I am brand new to this site. I am 28 years old and scheduled to have a total hysterectomy. I have severe pelvic pain and have for 8 months. I am miserable. I have already had my left ovary and both fallopian tubes removed back in December. My pain did not get better. I am scheduled to have the rest taken out in a few weeks. I have been doing some major research on hormone replacement therapy, and EVERYTHING I read states that it all increases your chances of heart disease, cancer, and early death significantly. I don't know what to do. Obviously dying is not worth it to me.. even if I leave the one ovary it says that I'm still at high risk for all these things. I have 2 young children and don't want to risk anything. My doctor NEVER talked to me about these risks prior to taking my left ovary. I am begging her to take the uterus (that's solely where my pain is) and leave my one ovary. She's refusing to do the surgery unless I am in agreement to take the ovary as well. That's not my concern here,I am handling her and getting a second opinion. My concern is hrt, and my future health. Please tell me your stories, especially if you were my age or know someone the same age that underwent a total hysterectomy and their success or failing story.

Hello and welcome,

While I do not have personal experience to share, I'm hoping others will be able to discuss their personal experiences with HRT.

In the meantime, here is an article with some general info: HRT Overview

There are numerous other articles that may address some of your questions.

Please take your time selecting your surgeon and making all important decisions. Consider all your options and do what is best for you.

Hugs and we are here to support you on your journey. You are not alone.

I had my tah/bso at the age of 36, close to 17 years ago. I've been using ert the entire time and am still here to talk about it. I don't have cancer nor heart disease. There are many scare tactics out there. Much of it is false information.

If your remaining ovary is healthy I would recommend keeping it. Finding balance after ovary removal can be very difficult. I didn't have a choice as my remaining half of an ovary was engulfed in adhesions and cysts. But if I had the choice I would've kept her.

Hi, Crmiles37! Welcome to HysterSisters! I'm 35 and had my hysterectomy because au had Stage IV Endometriosis. My ovaries were too far gone to be saved. Because of my age, my doctor wanted me to go HRT immediately. I started out with .1 mg of the Vivelle Dot patch. That ended up not being enough Estrogen for me. I had terrible insomnia until I was five weeks post-op. At my six week post-op appointment, my doctor adjusted my HRT to Climara .5 mg patch. My main problem was getting the patch to stay stuck on my skin. This is a common problem with generic patches, from what I have read. So I just switched from the patch to the pill. Insomnia was my main issue. Increasing my dose helped solve that problem.

I haven't really had what I feel would be a true hot flash or night sweat. It's more like a warm flush. I get warm at night but I'm not soaked in sweat. I also have dry skin on my face for the first time in my life. It beats the acne I had pre-op. I use a facial oil that's a blend of argan and coconut oil in addition to my regular moisturizer. I haven't had too many major issues, though. I had anticipated that things would be worse with surgical menopause than they have been. HRT can be a process of trial and error, so be prepared for that possibility.

You may want to try having a conversation with your primary care doctor about HRT. I did and it helped put my mind at ease. He said the media tends to over blow the risks of HRT and he felt more women would benefit from HRT if they were open to it. Good luck!