If you had endo-related hyst/ooph... when did you start HRT?

Hi all. I am 38 years old and had a hysterectomy/bilat oophorectomy/bonus appendectomy/and excision of stage IV endometriosis this past Friday. I already have a prescription for the estradiol patch thanks to my obgyn. My surgery got delayed several times, and the prescription was on auto-refill, so now I have quite the stockpile. Haha.

Anyway, my surgeon came to see me in the hospital the morning after my operation and told me that while he does want me to go on HRT, he wants me to hold off for awhile because he wants to starve out any microscopic bits of endo he might have missed during surgery.

I know a lot of women have menopause symptoms like immediately after surgery. I am on my sixth full day of recovery and so far, I haven't had a hot flash or anything. I have been super emotional and easily annoyed, but honestly, I felt that way after my last surgery, and I think that probably has to do with meds/pain.

My surgeon didn't say WHEN I could start my HRT, so I was just wondering if other people's doctors had them wait awhile, and if so, how long? Until you started having symptoms of menopause? Until you were miserable? Haha. I know it's still early in the game, but recovery is bad enough without waiting for that first hot flash to hit.

Just wondering what other's experiences were with this. Thanks!

I hope that someone with experience to share will respond to answer your questions.

Just from reading the forums over the years, the wait time can vary from not having to wait at all to six months or more. I think it's worth a call to your doctor to ask how long you should wait. In the absence of symptoms, the wait would definitely be easier.

One thing you could ask about is whether or not it would be a good idea to add progestin along with the estrogen. It could help counteract the effect that estrogen has on endometriosis. There's information about that in this link: Progesterone/Progestin Therapy for Endometriosis.

I hope you are doing well!