HRT & Fibroids! - Why HRT isn't for me (and it's not for the reasons you may think!)

I have now been on a three year journey with HRT and  the menopause and have written various blogs on the subject (see below) along the way, however I feel this may be my final blog on the subject and here's why........

My journey with HRT so far

I went from being dubious, to a total convert when it came to HRT however about 4 months ago I went to the Doctor for a review of my HRT (which had been great up until that point) and was told that the Evorel Dual Conti patches were no longer considered the 'best' option for me so I was switched to a much higher dose of Oestrogen (75) and progesterone tablets. Apart from a false start as I didn't really understand when to take the progesterone tablets it seemed fine, no symptom but I noticed my stomach expanding rapidly. 

The weigh in...... ahhhhh! 

Stepping on the scales at a friends house (I hadn't weighed myself in a very long time) I realised that I had gone up to a 13.8 stone (Im 5'6") which is the heaviest I've ever been. This coincided with a deadline of a knee op I was due to have in 2 months and a health scare that took me back to the GP.

All was fine with the health scare (turns out if you go out for your friends birthday and drink all the cocktails it can give you a false calproctein level which is a test for IBS/Bowel issues) anyway this was the reason I went to the GP on this occasion and it was a different lady form before. She was very thorough and gave me loads of blood test etc But at the end of the appointment she gave my stomach a prod and said that's not right.....your telling me I looked 6 moths pregnant!

Oestrogen - why it's a blessing for some and a curse for others!

Turns out that the higher dose of Oestrogen had been feeding my latent Fibroids. (when I was pregnant people use to touch my stomach and say they could feel my son's head but it was in fact a massive fibroid) But apart from painful periods (which have now stopped due to the big M), these just seemed to lie dormant and not cause too much trouble. Also on a side note, higher levels of Oestrogen are not good if you have a history of Breast cancer or other Oestrogen fed Cancers so please be aware as the doctors don't always ask or check your files.

The GP booked me in for a pelvic scan and being the NHS this wasn't going to happen for at least a month so I thought I need to get my weight down rapidly otherwise the recovery after my knee op would just be more difficult.

Fast forward to today and its the day after my knee op and i'm already up and walking around, but there are a few very valuable things I have learnt in relation to HRT and Fibroids. Firstly whist Oestrogen can be wonderful for weight maintenance and bone density it is no good for fibroids. The original doctor should have picked up on this but the 2nd doctor was very clear and said I needed to stop taking all HRT and that this wouldn't be an option for me moving forward.

How changing my diet has lead to numerous health benefits! From IBS, Arthritis, Fibroid size and weight.

I loathe the word diet, for someone who has always struggled with their weight i'd literally given up on getting it down, nothing seemed to work (check out the Oh my Menopause link below for the wide variety of things I have tried). So the Menopause became the perfect excuse to blame it on something other than what I was choosing to stick in my gob! But I couldn't have been more wrong as the resulting weight loss, fibroids size and inflammatory pain were all reduced within weeks.

I had the date of the 7th of October for my knee op so I decided I needed to do something fast ( I have always been more motived with a deadline) So I stopped taking HRT at the beginning of September, I went on the Michael Mosley's (god rest his soul) Fast 800 eating plan with a 16:8 fast window and went from 13.8 to 12.2  (8lbs in the first week) in a month which has reduced not only my stomach size but when I went for the fibroid scan they said that they had substantially reduced. Another happy coincidence was my advanced arthritis in my wrists, which I had steroid injections for earlier this year and the Surgeon said at the time this will last for 6 weeks to 6 months and you can't have it again within a year, had slowly crept back. I was starting to worry that I would be limited again, however cutting out sugar, most dairy and wheat (potatoes too) for the month I have no pain whatsoever!

So where does that leave me & HRT now?

When I returned for my scan review last week (a different one again) the GP said that they felt I had managed the Fibroids, weight loses and arthritis myself and that HRT wasn't for me and I should visit www.menopausematters.co.uk to find a natural supplement to help with Menopause symptoms. So I have literally gone full circle and now find myself back to alternative options like CBD (of course I would say that) which really helps with sleep, mood and boosting the nervous system. I'm now also taking some natural Menopause related supplements that seem to be doing the trick. 

So HRT is not for me but I do know countless women that it works wonders for so please don't dismiss just bear in mind your own body and any unintended consequences. 

Here are some other blogs that I have published on my journey with HRT and the Menopause:

10 things I wish i’d known about the Perimenopause as an ‘older mum’! (you are not losing your mind!)

HRT and Me - Has it made any real difference?

Oh my Menopause.....What I've tried, what's worked and what I wouldn't waste time with!

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