Yes I do and have for 25 years.
And I do understand those who cannot take it but we have come a long way with "estradiol patches", the dosing and components.
This is my story and mine only. We all have to do what is best for us individually including the research. This is a given of course.
At age 43 my GYN discovered a HUGE ovarian tumor and we are talking grapefruit size. He ordered me to the hospital next door immediately. The CT scan guy tech asked if I was born in Texas thats how big it was. Some might get this joke. Everything is big in Texas so they say.
I was sent to a cancer specialist for GYN specialty and since he could not tell if it was cancer we set the date for Thanksgiving day 2 weeks later. Of course I said yes.
He is reknowned in the US so I felt comfortable with him and his reputation he had.
It turned out to be benign, thank God. I stayed in hospital 8 days. A few hours later I started flushing and it was hot flashes (it's called a surgical menopause as they took my ovaries as well)
My husband called the nurse and she came back and slapped a patch on my arm. *today they are tiny miniscule clear patches the size of a dime)
I asked the surgeon how long I woud be on it as it was estradiol (a plant related estrogen) and he said "life".
I recovered after 8 weeks. I went to my GYN and we had the talk.
It all depends how long you should stay on it after full hysterectomy. Mind you it was a "total hysterectomy" which I had.
Most recommend 5 years and wean it off slowly. This is a miniscule .025 strentgh patch. Strong enough to barely get me through a normal woman in her 30's. (No progesterone like the old days for those that took pills, yes they were dangerous and very, very strong dosage back then. So all you need is the estradiol .025 patch. No "progesterone" necessary.
Ok, back to GYN's office after I healed. What are we going to do here? He said let's weigh the positives and the negatives.
The number one question was that I was tall and quite skinny and it protects from bone loss. A big factor for me as I was young. It also is a factor in mood, skin tone, mid belly weight gain, etc. Mood was a big factor for me as I had seen it in menopausal women.
I decided to take it for 5 years and I was very happy. The "clear little patch" now is so tiny and so I decided to keep on taking it.
Oh I also put a little "premarin" cream directly inside my ****** to keep it lubricated for sexual health and it works. Twice a week. The Doctor can see it on annual check ups for sure. Dryness is another miserable factor to live with. Bladder infections, urinary problems, sexual, etc.... All kinds of problems take place with the shrinkage.
What is my number one factor now that it's been 25 years? My mood is number one as well as my bones. (I was already close to ostopenai back then)
My best advice for you OP is talk with a good GYN who is up to date on the newest science. Your history on health, everything.
Weigh it all out. Hear them out.
Best of luck.
PS. I did not have familial history.
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