After struggling through bouts of anxiety and exhaustion, Kate started HRT and only wishes she’d done so earlier
Like many people, I’m someone who would occasionally worry about things, but I was also used to being capable and able to cope when challenges arose. However, around five years ago, when I was 48, I started to feel consumed by monthly feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and worsening PMS. My sleep also started to suffer as I experienced sweats at night.
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There was no telling when the anxiety would creep up and get me, and for no obvious reason; once I was at a supermarket checkout and I just wanted to run out. Bouts of inexplicable anxiety and panic attacks made me feel low and really knocked my self-esteem. I also experienced a series of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which I had never had before, and just generally didn’t feel like myself.
I went to see my doctor as I was keen to find a remedy for my symptoms – in particular to address my anxiety. We did speak about HRT and she said that it was there as an option if it was needed down the line. At the time I felt that HRT was in some way ‘wrong’, or ‘giving in’. She also suggested a website for me to look at where I read up on the numerous symptoms of menopause.
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To help manage my symptoms, I proactively changed my diet and used supplements, upped my level of exercise and also drank less. Things improved a little bit, but over time, my periods started to become more erratic, and I started to also feel more tired and experienced brain fog, which made it very hard to concentrate.
As my PMS got worse, I would snap at my kids for no reason, experienced bouts of intense rage at no-one in particular and my libido started to suffer. The final straw was when I started to get really bad ache and pains in my joints; particularly in my feet and big toes, which made it difficult to exercise.
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Looking for answers, I became aware of GP and menopause specialist, Dr Louise Newson, so booked an appointment. I started a combination of oestrogen gel and progesterone, with a small amount of testosterone cream. Some of my friends looked horrified when I told them and brought up cancer risks, but I soon realised that the benefits to my health and wellbeing greatly outweighed any small risks (which are much smaller than women had been lead to believe in the past).
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The testosterone has helped with my sense of wellbeing and physical strength and in combination with the oestrogen gel has got rid of the brain fog. I have had no panic attacks since I started HRT, I rarely get headaches and most of my aches and pains have gone. I also have much more energy and am nicer to live with (I hope!). I only wish I had started on HRT about two years earlier.
It’s now a year and a half since I started to use HRT, and my self-confidence really has been restored and I have a renewed sense of purpose, having previously been on a downward spiral. I am so focused on an array of new projects that I’d like to achieve. I literally feel like a new woman: or perhaps like the woman I was before menopause!
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I worry about how many other women might be experiencing similarly debilitating anxiety, and are being offered antidepressants rather than their GPs considering that it could actually be linked to a female hormone deficiency. Lots of women feel guilty about HRT and many still think it is linked to cancer, but I’m on a mission to talk about this openly, bust the myths and redress the balance. It’s important that our partners and children know what to expect – education is key for everyone.
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