How will I know whether I need HRT?

I recently had an emergency hysterectomy and removal of my ovaries. Along with this I received 10 units of blood. I am 52 years old and I had not had a period since February 2010 and prior to that I had gone several months at a time without out, so I was definitely in peri-menopause. I am coming up on 3 weeks since my surgery and so far it seems the only difficulty I am having is sleeping and I was experiencing that before this happened. Looking for feedback and advice.

I'd recommend HRT just for quality of life... estrogen will help with: bone health, brain health, urinary health, skin health, sexual health, eye health, etc...

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Originally Posted by kootkath I recently had an emergency hysterectomy and removal of my ovaries. Along with this I received 10 units of blood. I am 52 years old and I had not had a period since February 2010 and prior to that I had gone several months at a time without out, so I was definitely in peri-menopause. I am coming up on 3 weeks since my surgery and so far it seems the only difficulty I am having is sleeping and I was experiencing that before this happened. Looking for feedback and advice.

I don't know, but I just saw your post. OH MY!!! I am 53 and had an emergency hysterectomy/ovaries the very same day - just 4 units of blood here, and I was pretty wiped out from the whole experience. Can't even imagine 10 units ... Sounds like you are doing OK, though.

The surgeon (whom I'd never seen before in my life) started me on Premarin. I don't know if it's making a difference or not because I started it right away. Don't know if I'll continue with that or do something else. So - no feedback or advice from me - just wanted to say "welcome"!

It's really a good idea to be on hormones, though it's good to weigh the pros and cons and types with your doctor based on your individual situation. I have had the patch since before surgery and it helped alot with hot flashes and a restlessness I had that kept me awake. But when the hormone dose was changed a few times leaving my hormones going up and down, I found a great holistic sleep aid that you can get at any drugstore in the sleep aid section. It's natural and made from hops (they make beer with hops), and is non-habit forming. It was the greatest help to me! If trouble with sleep is your only symptom, you could maybe try something like that until you see your doc to discuss hormone options. Like Calypso said, there are health benefits to hormones.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing down the road and what you decided with your doctor.
Hugs!
~WendyWeb

I had sleep problems but didn't attribute them to menopause. After my ovaries were gone I started HRT for brain fog and hot flashes but my sleep and mood improved as well. So the sleep problem must have been hormonal---what a surprise. Quality of life is an issue so if hot flashes, brain fog, aches, mood shifts, insomnia affect you and other things don't help, or you just prefer, HRT could help (discuss with your Dr of course to see if that applies to you). I'm sorry you've been through all this, glad you found HS. I hope your recovery goes well.