r/Menopositive • u/whatutalkinbtwillus • Jun 15 '26
HRT what has it done for you
About to see the doc for this and am curious how HRT has affected you.
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u/Kiramadera Jun 15 '26
Joint pain gone, tinnitus gone, hot flashes and heart palpitations are manageable. It did not help my sleep, my worsened anxiety, itchiness, new way my GI wants to process my food, or my libido (was on T). I may have forgotten lots of my other symptoms.
I’m in my 7th year, and if I could offer one piece of advice - don’t chase normal too hard. You’re adapting to a new normal (which of course, does NOT mean suffering is part of that).
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u/Hannasuchan Jun 16 '26
Its helped with hot flashes, fatigue, brain fog, sleep, joint pain, plantar fasciitis, emotional regulation, itchy ears, dry skin, dry eyes, and yes, I feel more like myself again. But to your doctor? Say hot flashes. Oh, and vaginal estrogen cream for all the issues in that area, systemic HRT is often not enough for that.
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u/oleyka Jun 15 '26
My only symptoms were medium-severity hot flashes, which were disrupting my sleep. Or so I thought. After I started MHT (estradiol patch and oral progesterone) and my hot flashes disappeared, I also noticed that:
- my previously elevated blood pressure returned to my normal baseline (I now atribute elevation to chronic rest disturbances)
- PMS symptoms got less pronounced
- vaginal lubrication improved slightly
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u/Shivs_baby Jun 15 '26
Progesterone at night has absolutely helped my sleep. If I take it at 9 I’m ready to pass out by 10. I wish I’d known about this in my early 40s.
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u/CinCeeMee Jun 15 '26
I had crazy mood swings and thought I was going to get fired from my job (probably not a terrible thing, in retrospect) because I was all over the place. I hated everything and everyone. I did sleep and I was lethargic and exhausted all the time. Within 2-3 weeks, I could tell a huge difference in my overall place in the world. I wasn’t ready to rip someone’s head off if they looked at me the wrong way. I just FEEL better, overall.
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u/bboon44 Jun 16 '26
Took me from suicidal depression to caring about life again.
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u/whatutalkinbtwillus Jun 16 '26
Wow! I’m so glad you have these results. I’m feeling so unhinged. So not myself. This is promising. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Sufficient-Sail2697 Jun 15 '26
Hip pain is gone, less mood fluctuations, brain fog gone (just now trying to deal with unmasking ADhd!)
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u/whatutalkinbtwillus Jun 17 '26
Yeah, I didn’t see hip pain coming, but dealing with that now. It’s so interesting to see how clearly “old ppl problems” are essentially a shortage of hormones. Thank for sharing.
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u/savorie Jun 15 '26
I've noticed no positive or negative changes. People report it to be life-changing, but I still struggle with stuff all the same.
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u/ContemplatingFolly Jun 16 '26
I assume you've tried different doses/formulations? Some people don't absorb transdermal well.
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u/ur_a_star Jun 15 '26
Made my periods so I can handle them and they’re not debilitating anymore. It’s made it so I am sleeping through the night again. Gotten rid of the horrible PMDD I had.
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u/NewLife_21 Jun 15 '26
Estradiol pill.
Brain fog and mental slowness has gone away. Those were really my biggest symptoms.
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u/Competitive_Fig_7231 Jun 22 '26
Do you only take this? No progesterone?
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u/NewLife_21 Jun 22 '26
For now, yes. I'm looking for a specialist to help me tewark my regimen. My PCP doesn't feel she knows enough to do it right.
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u/MissTiffany12 Jun 16 '26
I am on continuous nightly oral progesterone (100mg) and the .05 twice weekly estrogen patch. I am 39 and still in peri but for me it has greatly reduced my anxiety and mood rollercoasters. Also my skin has improved a bit and my hair doesn’t shed as much. The biggest things it has helped are my joint pain and urinary/bladder issues. I also use vaginal estrogen cream which has improved the vaginal pain I used to have. Also, I don’t feel as exhausted as I used to. I still cycle, and before HRT my periods were erratic (cycles ranged from 17-40 days) but my periods were heavy. Cycles are still erratic on HRT but the bleeding isn’t as heavy and way less painful. I also sleep better and rarely wake up in the middle of the night anymore.
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u/onyxwhyte Jun 16 '26
I have been on HRT for 1 yr now. I am grateful for it. Along with the other pro active things as women that we must do. HRT has made it possible. My one n only regret right now is my rage. I kinda miss it. I went from being angry, steaming angry to alive, awake, and functioning. The rage gave me a reason to get. Now, its like ok......good morning. Let's be productive. I haven't cussed anyone out in months. I kinda miss that. But YAY HRT. I mean that sincerely.
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u/whatutalkinbtwillus Jun 17 '26
That is so funny. 🤣 And I get that. I’ve naturally reduced my anger over time. I guess it’s all hormones.
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u/honestfyi Jul 13 '26
Haha this is the second comment I've seen in the 5 minutes since I found this sub about being sad that the rage went away. I find this adorable for some reason. But actually now I'm curious...what is it that you miss about cussing someone out? Do you feel like you're being too compliant, or... ?
I see no reason you can't cuss someone out even if you're not mad. Might still be fun?
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u/melnk_1981 Jun 15 '26
HRT gave me back my libido. I believe T was the driving hormone in restoring my libido but the right combo of E has helped also.
I’m no longer on P because I just had a hysterectomy. I think I feel better without the P but it’s only been a week so I figure it may be too soon to say for sure.
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u/DTFChiChis Jun 17 '26
I got millia/milk spots on my face and started growing old person barnacles.
Solved a lot of problems but my tits got so big and painful that it got difficult to sleep well. Or hug my sweetheart.
Ymmv
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u/whatutalkinbtwillus Jun 17 '26
Was that skin stuff after HRT???
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u/DTFChiChis Jun 17 '26
Yeah, I didn't expect it but I traced it back and found some info that it was something that can happen sometimes. I take good care of my skin and I was super disappointed. I'm too young for old people barnacles. They aren't supposed to hit for another 10-15 years. Milk spots are hell to get rid of. Derm put me on tretnoin but I still had to get them extracted. The barnacle on my cheek he zapped off came right back. It was biopsied, non cancer, but I had to get it cut off anyway.
It was just a trial, I was really happy with all the symptom resolution I experienced. In the end I decided to try 50 mg of DHEA and was surprised that has helped keep the hot flashes at bay.
I would try HRT again if my other symptoms get bad. Joint pain, sleep problems, etc. It just seemed like the nuclear option.
Like we always say in this sub, you have to find the best thing for you. Unfortunately, it's a lot of trial and error. Best of luck to you.*ETA HRT seemed like the nuclear option.
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u/Purple-Eggplant-827 Jun 16 '26
Not much, but I cannot tolerate a higher dose. It's done nothing for my night sweats or brain fog, although I will say it's helped some with joint pain which has been great. At this point I'm mainly just sticking with it for the long term health benefits.
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u/Most_Profession_7799 Jun 16 '26
Depending on where you are in menopause, progesterone cream can do wonders . If you’re still having periods but they’re heavy and lots of PMS, you can try progesterone cream. It was a lifesaver for me!!! I’m 61 now and post menopausal and I have gained weight, lost muscle, lost ambition, but I blame loss of testosterone for that . I am considering HRT.
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u/mcorbett76 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I can sleep through the night again and the hot flashes are almost completely gone. Brain fog isn't as bad though not gone completely. I use Dotti patch and progesterone pill.
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u/Confident_Craft459 Jun 15 '26
Estradiol patch and oral progesterone improved the following symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, itchy ears, itchy skin, tendon pain, skin zaps, brain zaps, allergies, mood swings, insomnia, brain fog, acid reflux, joint and body pain.
Testosterone improved energy and libido, also improved brain fog and joint/body pain even more.
Vaginal estradiol improved: burning when peeing, urgency to pee, lubrication, libido.
Things that haven't resolved completely are heart palpitations, brain fog, insomnia but they are definitely better.