The first time I was prescribed HRT, I felt so wonderful that (look away now if you’re of a sensitive disposition) I understood how hormone replacement advocate Edwina Currie could have a torrid affair with John Major when he was Prime Minister.
At least I guess it was steamy; I felt so playful, I could have called him a swag myself if he was single.
I was in my early 40s and was put on hormone replacement therapy due to chronically low levels that put me at high risk for bone thinning and osteoporosis; estrogen is crucial for calcium absorption.
Because of this imbalance, I haven’t had a period since the 1980s. Both of my children were conceived through the miracles of modern medicine, and frankly, I had no way of knowing when menopause would hit.
So there I was, a gloriously content and purring middle-aged goddess. Everything is fine. Except I packed on the pounds. And in.
Now, pharmaceutical companies are working hard to “dispel the myth” that HRT leads to weight gain. It may not be a causal link, but the truth is that online message boards are full of distraught women trying to come to terms with this inconvenience.
My theory is that I was so happy that I paid little attention to my diet, when really I could have with some stern advice, or at least a warning about how to control my calorie intake.
After a couple of years I stopped taking the tablets and lost weight. But then a few years later, approaching 50 and feeling inexplicably depressed, I went to see my GP again. I wanted the same magical HRT, but this time I would set the pasta on fire and fill myself with broccoli. Unfortunately, that brand had been discontinued, much to the distress of many patients.
They gave me another brand. She made me sad and numb, instead of feline and flirtatious. I gave up after three months.
Very often, women complain that they are cheated with antidepressants instead of prescribed HRT. As it turned out, a high dose of antidepressants was exactly what she needed. Who knows? I do not.
And certainly not a pharmacist dispensing OTC HRT without any hint of my medical history.
I will take HRT for the rest of my life, it has been a blessing
By Meg Mathews
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