Fear of taking HRT

Dear Sisters.


I had a appointment with my gyn/onc on March 24th because of painful intercourse and low libido.

She said there was definate vaginal dryness and recommended Replens ,but she also recommened Estratest HS (HRT) which has me more than alittle concerned. I work in a Pharmacy and the Pharmacist there was alittle concerned about it because of my Ovarian & Uterine Cancer . I've actually taken it for about 9 days but now I'm having second thoughts. What do you gals think about taking the hormone replacement.?


Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

Of course the choice has to be yours and yours alone but after my hysterectomy for ovarian cancer I went thru everything cold turkey.

I preferred not to take anything and do not reget it. It is now almost two years later and my husband and I still fight over the covers on and the covers off. OH WELL!!

Rosalie

s Bonnie

Doctors and treatments vary from place to place. There is no one clear answer to be found.
That said, my gyn onc did not recommend HRT, and I too was pre menopausal at the time of surgery. Replens does work and you may find in time that some of your own lubrication returns.
As for libido...... more foreplay helps.

karenann

Hi Zinzer
My dx was endometrial ca stage 1a. My gyn/onc really encouraged me to go on hrt right after surgery but my regular gyn that I have gone to for more than 20 years said to wait for two years....I decided to go with caution and wait. I will be two years post op this coming summer. I see my gyn for follow ups and she has prescribed the Estring to help with vaginal dryness and atrophy. I havent decided if I will start hrt or not.

I was about to mention Est-ring and Vagifem as alternatives. They are estrogen, but they are designed so the dose is so low that there are almost no systemic effects, just healthier vaginal tissue. Estring for instance delivers 1 day's worth of ordinary estrogen replacement across 90 days.

Estratest--well, testosterone is the assumed to be the best thing for libido, but frankly, it's extremely untested and both are synthetic forms. I found some herbal approaches etc. a couple of years ago and wrote them up in www.hormonejungle.com/libido.php Something there might help--maybe gingko and the estring/vagifem together might help with a lot less risk.

It's a tough decision.

Bonnie,

It is so hard to make informed choices when it seems like each MD has their own stay hard rules with the issue of HRT. My Gyn and my Gyn/Oncologist who co manage my care from the get go told me no HRT because in their opinion, the risks of developing breast cancer were too great for me because my endometrial cancer was likely caused by having too much unopposed estrogen to begin with. I am age 47, 3 months post op, and have an occasional hot flash which I already had before the surgery. Aside from that, I feel very good,sexual relations no different than before, so I guess I am pretty lucky in that respect. Taking or not taking HRT is not a decision you have to make today. See how you feel as time progresses, maybe seek a few other Gyn/MD/Oncologist's opinions which may make the decision easier for you.

Dear Bonnie,

I had a TAH a little more than 2 weeks ago. I've had a problem with libido for a LONG time but my doctor always "poo-pood" it by saying that women who work full time, take care of a house, kids, and husband are expected to loose their sex drive. I asked to have my hormonal levels tested and he told me there is no test for that. I changed doctors, had the TAH (because of Adenomyosis) and was put on Estratest immediately after surgery. Let me tell you that I haven't felt this "normal" in a very long time. I feel emotionally well balanced, I have no hot flashes, and I am thinking about sex again on a daily basis. I am so happy to feel like myself again that I feel as if I am taking a miracle drug. My husband is responding to me in a totally different way now, almost as if he is falling in love all over again. I realize that there are risks to taking HRT, however, I would rather take the risk than go on feeling out of sorts for the rest of my life. You need to make the decision that is right for you but I wanted to let you know my experience with taking the exact same medication. Good luck to you.

Sister's

I'm really confused about why my Dr. prescribed the Estratest especially since most of you tell me your Drs. didn't recommend HRT. She told me that there is no proof of it causing Cancer, yet on my paper from my pharmacy it said don't take it if you have ever had Cancer.


My Dr. has always been very open with me and always answers all question throughly ,but this Hrt thing just frustrats me!


Sexually I feel stinky, emotionally the same. I really never thought about the Hysterectomy that much at the time of the surgery because I was so focused on the Cancer.

Bonnie

Hope this helps you. My gyn put me on hrt - very low dose- 8 weeks after my operation but when i started to see a gyn//onc he told me to come off it. Another gyn/onc also confirmed i was to come off it and see how i go. Well 6 months down the line i have had a lot of very painful bladder problems, painful sex etc. This was all due to lack of estrogen. Literally going to the loo all day and night long. No infection just purely from lack of estrogen.
This coupled with heart palpitations, no energy, no libido, and feelings of strong anxiety they have both decided to put me back on it. Im using ovestin vaginal cream (replens didnt work for me)
and one patch of estrogen a week. I feel so much better. My bladder has quietened down and im not sore and my general well being is much better. My oncologists have said to me that all the clinical tests were done with women taking premarin and they are slowly putting women back on NATURAL HRT who really really need it. Its a difficult decision i know but one that i am glad i made.

Take care
Sheila

Sheila,

Thanks for your info. I'm going to try it again. I felt like you and I want to feel alittle better. My Dr. always seems to be on top of everything and I have to believe she wouldn't suggest something to me that she thought would cause me more problems. My HRT has Estrogen and Testosterone in it, so if my voice starts getting lower and I have to start shaving I think it would be time to stop.



Bonnie