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Does anyone have any experience with this? Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy in particular. I would love to hear people's experiences with it.

I tried it after D-day. For about a year. Trying to feel attractive again and rebuild my self esteem. Wanted to lose a little weight. Feel more youthful. Get my mojo back.

I got the works…thyroid stuff, female hormones (my estrogen was still good so I just got progesterone), a little testosterone recommended for women to boost sex drive, vitamin B shots. They tested a bunch of stuff and I can’t remember everything.

The only thing that 100% worked was the female dose of testosterone. I definitely noticed an increase in my sex drive. But that didn’t help me because I was, and still am really, too mentally blocked by infidelity to take advantage of it…other than using my vibrator more. Sex with my WH was still difficult because of the mind games. Also there was one month that the dose was too high (they check your bloodwork regularly to try to keep the dosage right, but your levels still can fluctuate) and I had a terrible acne breakout because of it.

The thyroid pills were supposed to help with weight and energy but I did not notice any difference. Progesterone was supposed to help with sleep and mood…I only noticed a subtle difference at best.
Honestly I think I was paying so much for it that I probably thought it was working better than it was.

So, for me, it was not worth the expense and all the shots and blood draws and fluctuations.

I would recommend it though for a boost in sex drive, as long as you have your head straight and aren’t messed up by infidelity when it comes to sex.

I had a hysterectomy when I was 34. Doctor left my ovaries, so not exactly sure when I went through menopause. I had hit flashes at an early age.

A nutritionist told me to do Black Cohosh according to the directions on the bottle and safe tea before bed. Hot flashes ended after a few months.

I didn't do HRT because of the instances of heart attacks in women. Haven't looked into biosimilars or bio-identical therapy.

Liz, where did you find a place to do all those things? My regular gyno seems clueless and when i search online every place looks a little sketchy. More like a business than a medical practice...

My gyne prescribed my bioidential progesterone and estrogen. He is a big believer of that the WHI study done over 30 years ago was flawed and that, if prescribed properly, can be a huge benefit for post-menopausal women. I am not on testosterone, although my functional internist has mentioned it in passing. Neither of these two doctors sell these products in their offices. Many people will say I shouldn't be on BHRT due to my cancer history, but my gyne has provided me with studies that show I can take it safely. He has women in their 80s who are still on it, and people remark about these patients how cognitively intact they are. I'm told that as you get older, you need less, though.

In my family of origin, three of six members had heart disease by the time they were in their late 50s or 60s, so it's something I'm followed very closely by my doctors. I have genetic high cholesterol, so no amount of clean eating will manage it. I also have high blood pressure which is managed successfully with a very low dose of BP medication. My gyne who prescribes my BHRT has cardiologists sending him post-menopausal women with early heart disease so he can assess them for BHRT use. BHRT also helps with post-menopausal cognitive issues.

I was once told by my old breast surgeon (no, I did not have breast cancer) that taking BHRT is a lifestyle choice. For some women, menopause is cruel and robs women of a quality of life as it did with me. I could write another five paragraphs about how my lack of sleep (due to severe hot flashes) negatively impacted my life, both emotionally and physically. I tried the BHRT creams that you rub into your forearm first and got nowhere, so we finally went with a pill and patch.

My gyne has a list of of studies done since the WHI study that support the use of BHRT (as opposed to equine-based HRT) is safe. He gave me a copy of that list and I have shared it with a couple of my doctors. In fact, my internist uses it and has shared it with other patients of his.

I agree that you have to be careful about researching how to get these medications. I would look for a functional medicine physician (western trained) if you can't find a gyne who does. You may have to go outside of your geographical area to find someone. They gyne who prescribes my BHRT requires me to do a blood panel for him once a year, then we have a phone call consultation. I do my annual pelvic exam with a different gynecologist who is more hesitant to prescribe, even BHRT.

Good luck finding someone. I was incredibly fortunate that my internist referred me to the gyne who isn't afraid to prescribe BHRT.

heforgotme, I went to a place called 25 Again. It was more business like I guess, but I saw a nurse practitioner there. I liked her and she did monitor my labs closely. They treated me fine but ultimately it just didn’t live up to all the claims, except for the sex drive part. And it was pricey.

I had early menopause at 46 and a hysterectomy with cervix and ovary removal at 52. I had just about lost my mind with constant hot flashes and heart palpitations since I was 42, and then post surgery, very painful intercourse problems. I tried all the herbal remedies and the vaginal hormone creams. No relief on any front, just an expensive mess. I had estrogen receptor breast cancer history in my family so my doctors would not prescribe HRT for years.

When I reached my break point post D with stress and insomnia, my GP decided that oral estradiol was worth a shot, given the new studies that it did not lead to increased cancer or cardiac risk. The difference was immediate. My hot flashes reduced by about 90% and I no longer feel stabbing burning or pain during and after sex, and I got my sex drive back. How much of that was territorial post-infidelity hysterical bonding or how much was hormonal I will never know, but I'm glad that part of my life came back to me.

I take half the dose I am prescribed, because it works just fine, and why not minimize any potential risks since I will likely be on it for a long time. If you still have your ovaries, I understand you need progesterone with the estrogen.

I had to look up what bio-identical HRT actually was, and I guess estradiol is. Whatever it is, it has saved my sanity and my sex life. Good luck with your quest.

my GP decided that oral estradiol was worth a shot, given the new studies that it did not lead to increased cancer or cardiac risk

If you're on an oral, it's so much more convenient to be on the patch. You change it twice a week (my schedule is Wednesday night and Sunday morning) and forget about it.

Premarin is the conjugated estrogen; estradiol is the bioidentical. The estradiol patch is Minivelle (or one of its generics).

H has worked in the manufacturing side of the pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years, and I've said to him many times since starting on Minivelle that it boggles my mind that I can put a tiny patch on my stomach twice a week, and that little patch knows how to disseminate estrogen for 3+ days so that it's a steady stream in my system... through showers, swimming, etc. The engineering and chemistry behind it is fascinating, but I'll never understand it.

I had a lump removed from my breast several years ago. It was not cancer but I have ADH (a typical ductal hyperplasia) so I have an increased risk of breast cancer and am followed by the breast clinic. They immediately took me off my estrogen. (I had a complete hysterectomy in my thirties) I was told no estrogen of any kind for me. Is there evidence that says otherwise?

I had horrible symptoms after coming off the estrogen.

I was told no estrogen of any kind for me. Is there evidence that says otherwise?

I am followed by a breast clinic, too, as there is a family history of breast cancer, but no one is positive for BRCA gene. I have dense breast tissue, and had a duct removed several years ago when I began 'leaking' tiny amounts from that side, and after a period of time, that fluid began to show blood. But it was all negative for cancer. When I told my breast surgeon about my endometrial cancer and how debilitated I'd become because of the hot flashes, he said he understood, and said that it's a lifestyle choice for some women. He advised me to be followed closely before he retired, so I do. My current breast surgeon (a woman) is not a fan of my being on estrogen long-term. But what one of my gynes told me was that is unopposed estrogen that's the problem. So you need to be on both. Again, I've had other doctors tell me that I don't need progesterone if I don't have a uterus or ovaries, but other doctors will tell me that progesterone has more benefits for your body.

You can always find someone to support whatever it is you want to do. I did a TON of research many years ago on this, and at one point did have a gyne who felt like she could prescribe hormones (including testosterone) based on how I felt, as opposed to what any blood or saliva tests had to say. I dropped her big time. The gyne I now have bases his prescribing on blood tests, as well as symptoms. He doesn't sell any products in his office, either.

Thank you for sharing that. To be honest I am afraid of getting cancer so I have suffered through all the symptoms I was having from coming off the estrogen. My hot flashes have eased up and hopefully won't fire back up. They want me to take tamoxifen but I haven't taken it yet because I'm afraid the hot flashes will start again. I have horrible anxiety and hot flashes and heart palpitations don't help matters.

The only positive is that I get less migraines since stopping the estrogen.

It's so hard to know what to do.

Well, I fell down the rabbit hole of HRT research once again. There are so many studies and so much conflicting or confusing data. I found one article that seemed a decent summary of the current research. This one is on the nih website, titled Risks, Benefits, and Treatment Modalities of Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Current Concepts.

I am interested in the patch, as it seems to be a little less risky than the oral. It's really hard to know what to do and what level of risk is acceptable. I just know I had to choose quality of life over risk on this one. Good luck figuring it out.

I am interested in the patch, as it seems to be a little less risky than the oral. It's really hard to know what to do and what level of risk is acceptable.

Yes, that's what my gyne told me - the patch is less risky. But that's why I also suggested that you can find anyone to support whatever it is you choose to do. The first seven months post-complete hysterectomy were a living hell for me. There was no quality of life. I know some people recommend taking Effexor (an antidepressant), but the couple of people I know who tried it, said it didn't work for them. I actually started out with the estrogen cream that you rub into your forearm, and we kept upping that, but my body did not absorb it well. After seven months of trial and error with that, that's when I was prescribed the patch. Within three days, all of my symptoms were gone.

The gyne who does my annual physical exam told me once, when I asked her what her protocol was for testing for bone density, that she didn't need to check my bone density because I was on estrogen. I pushed the issue because my other gyne was checking bone density every two years, and I hadn't had it done since we moved in 2018. So she wrote the orders, I had it done, and it turns out I have very borderline osteopenia. Mind you, I have no risk factors - I don't drink soda, I lift weights twice a week, do other forms of exercise (Pilates) two times a week, and walk. So I was sort of stunned when I found out. But when I ran the numbers past my gyne in IL when we had our phone consultation last summer, he said my bone density numbers were in the 90th percentile of women my age. So I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. While it's a bit of a pain to have two different gynes, it works for me. I know that when we move again later this year, I will still at least have one who will prescribe my hormones, and I won't find myself in the same situation as heforgotme where I can't find someone who isn't up on the latest research. If I can find someone like him in MA, that practices based on current research and not the WHI study, I might consider switching so I can just have one gyne.

I feel for those of you who don't have access to someone willing to consider current research.