I’ve been on HRT for 3 months and it’s been good but not great. Joint pain and heart palpitations are gone but the quality of my sleep in the week leading up to my period is still bad. So I went back to my group practice and saw the same GP again. Now, everyone’s experience of menopausal symptoms is different, I get that, but I didn’t think my case was particularly exotic. I was wrong. She seemed really thrown by this state of affairs and started by saying ‘we would normally suggest antidepressants but your case is clearly linked to hormones’. I panicked when I heard this because I’ve heard about the tendancy to recommend antidepressants to women when that’s not where the problem is.
She went on to say: ‘I’ll call a friend and let you know’. I didn’t know I was in an episode of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ but it turns out her friend used to be the head of the Menopause Society for 10 years.
Mum worked as a nurse and used to call people she knew in various hospitals she’d worked at when help was needed with dad’s prostate cancer. It’s handy, but it’s a shortcut that isn’t equitable. If my GP hadn’t known this specialist, I dread to think what she would have recommended.
So on top of Evorel50 patches, I’ll now need to take 200mg of progesterone during the second half of my cycle. A whole new set of habits to develop as they’re daily capsules. I hope this works because yes, life is change, but I’d prefer a smoother ride sometimes.