Do I have to do HRT's?

hey all I'm 11 days post op and haven't had any real symptoms and my doc said we would talk HRT's. My mom said no no no stay off chemicals. I am taking lots of vitamin cause I always have. Is there a reason I have to do HRT's? Can anyone thats in my shoes give me any advice. So far the only issues I'm having is I am sooooooooooooo overly stimulated and I can't do anything for at least 4 more weeks and every now and then if I get really mad I get a hot flash but those are nothing I can't handle.

Up to you. Really, some hormones are the same as what you made. And if you don't take any, make sure your bones get their calcium and vit D. But when you deplete your oxygen stores, you can see how you feel. If you don't feel the need for HRT, then skip it until you do. But it might help to keep an open mind on it for a few months until you see how things go. Some of those symptoms can be real deal breakers when you're trying to stay off HRT. Or you could feel fine. Hope you have an easy recovery.

The advantages to estrogen replacement therapy are: better bone health, heart health, brain health, skin health, sexual health, urinary health, mental health, etc... I suppose when your estrogen stores run out, you might experience some of the low estrogen symptoms - the most troubling to me were: hot flashes, insomnia, dry eyes, vision changes, no libido, vaginal atrophy, UTIs, yeast infections, dry skin/hair, etc...

Everyone's different - it's a good topic to discuss with your dr and you and he/she can discuss pros/cons. The younger you are, the more benefits to having estrogen on board, though at any age, it's a real plus.

Like greyown says, it really depends on the quality of life you'd like and there are many bio-identical choices out there (same as your own body used to make). It's not just Premarin (from mare's urine) anymore like when my mother had her hysterectomy in the 70s...

Get informed and then hopefully you will choose what's right for you.

any advice for types I should talk to the doctor about? and thank you both for getting back to me. I will talk to my doc I hadn't really thought about the body having a storage supply. I'm only 30 and this was a sudden thing for me to face.

I am 44 and exactly one month post op...TAH/BSO. My doctor and I are trying the natural supplement approach and I am doing great. In fact I feel better hormonally than before...preop I was a mess, had been dealing with irregular cycles, hot flashes, night sweats and major mood swings...oh and a bout of depression (post adoption depression).

I am taking calcium/vitamin D chocolate chews plus a pill that contains, among other things...black cohash, female hop cones extract, plant phytoestrogens, etc. It's from a website that requires a doctors referral (not prescription).

In the next month or so I will have a bone density test done as well. For me, it's been wonderful so far!

Good luck!

The estradiol patches are bioidentical and give a steady constant dose over the day. I like mine. But there are also gels, pills, etc and some do better on one form over the others. I'd rather change a weekly patch than take a daily pill. You can ask your Dr and think about what makes sense in your situation.

Have worn the patch for three weeks and loved it, but it itches and I am allergic. Any advice on trying the spray, cream or pill? not sure what to try.

I've been taking the 1 A Day menopause and its been doing an awesome job of helping balance me. I haven't seen my doc yet so we haven't talked HRT's

dusty, I was 'scared/skeptical' of the hrt also. But, after much talking with my dr, I felt better. I'm 38; surgery was a sudden thing for me, too. We waited to see if I would have any symptoms, and how bad they would be. About 3wks post op, I tried enjuvia(made from yams). It worked well for me. BUT when I went to 6wk post op visit, dr said she had learned the gels, sprays, and patches were better long term than pills like enjuvia. So, I tried gel form of estrogel for 2wks and then divigel for 1wk. The estrogel worked great. It's bio-identical (like estrogen your body made). Enjuvia helped with hot flashes and dry skin, but I had insomnia with it. EstroGel solved it ALL. Divigel didn't help anything.
Good Luck! This website has a lot of useful/helpful info that REALLY helped me. Hope the same rings true for you!

Kristi
tvh/bso w/repairs 5/5/2010

I am 33 and 4mo post-op. At first I was doing pretty good. Had a horomone shot 1 day post-op that lasted a month and other than hot flashes and night sweats I was alright. Things have changed now. I'm getting most symptoms Calypso mentioned.....not fun.
Had a dr appt today, asked for VagiFem, and got it. I don't think its strong like oral pills, but I tried Estridol and had bad headaches. So here is my second go-round. Hopefully no headache and improved vaginal symptoms. I currently have a yeast infection, found that out today, and he said this should help prevent having more. I've only had like 2 in my life, this being #3 but its been around awhile. I've been using my metro-gel thinking I kept getting BV, lol.
I think I was assuming that b/c I am younger I would not encounter issues, but it is happening and I can not take it any longer. The VagiFem won't get rid of the hot flashes but if I could get a few things under control I'll be better able to deal with the remaining others.
Today I am looking at it being like taking birth control pills. They are essentially horomones too.
Good luck on your decision!