I get asked this all the time by perimenopausal and post menopausal women. And my answer always is…“It depends.” Once upon a time women used to have to suffer with hot flushes, memory loss, loss of libido and sleep disturbances. Then along came the hormone therapy like a white knight on a horse and made everyone better. Or so we thought. And the doctors were giving out hormone therapy like M&M’s. The some rumors started that the white knight was actually an axe murder and everyone went running the opposite direction screaming…and the results? Many, many miserable women who couldn’t sleep, didn’t want sex, argued all the time with everyone, soaked their clothes at inopportune moments and were overall not happy campers.
So what’s the real answer? Like everything else: moderation! If you need hormone therapy, use it. It will make your life better. But use as little as you need and don’t assume you will need it forever. After a few years your body may adjust and you may do fine without it. But please don’t suffer!
The white knight turned out not to be a knight or an axe murderer. He’s just the guy next door who, like most of us, have their good points and bad points!!
