HRT: The Backstory

We welcome our second guest, the woman who introduced us to HRT and kicked off our hormone journeys. She shares her personal experience, what led her to hormone therapy, and why this conversation matters for women everywhere.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Hot Flash and Sassy, a podcast with hot takes, hotter flashes, and a whole lot of sass.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Welcome back to Hot Flash and Sassy, the podcast where we talk honestly and sometimes hilariously about the real life experiences of perimenopause and menopause. I'm Renee.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

And I'm Holly. And today we're diving into a topic that sparks a lot of questions, a lot of opinions, and sometimes a lot of confusion. Hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT. You've probably heard different things about it. Some women swear by it, others feel unsure about the risk or whether it's the right choice for them. The truth is every woman's experience is different. So today we're talking with someone who's here to share their personal journey with hormone therapy, what led her to explore it and what the process was like and how it's affected her life since starting it. If you've ever wondered whether hormone therapy might be an option for you and you're just curious about what the experience can be like, this conversation for you. So we're gonna get into it with a very special guest, my wonderful mother, Nancy.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Yay! Round of applause. Welcome girls. And for being here, we're so excited to have you.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Absolutely. No. She was actually my best child as a child. So that's her.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

No, I was. And and I am her favorite child. You're putting this on the air. Yeah, they know it.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

The siblings know it. The siblings all know.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

It depends on what day of the week it is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Every day is Holly's day. Oh, that's so sweet.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

It is so sweet.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

I love your guys' relationship. It's so cute.

SPEAKER_03 1:50

Very lucky. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

I'm Nancy 2.0. Oh. And that's why you guys are so close. Yeah. Yes. I get it.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Is that also why she's the favorite? Yes. She's most like you. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

She is the most like me, definitely. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

All right. Well, we're excited to have you. Thank you. We would love to start with you telling us a little bit about yourself, about the age of your children, and about how you got started on your hormone replacement journey.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Great. Well, it I mean, it's been 21 years ago that I started doing them, which it was just really getting started in the St. Louis area when I started doing them, and I was a little skeptical if I wanted to do it or not. Um, my kids now are 46, 42, and 28. 39 and six months, I think.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Yeah, there you go. A good mother. So cute. So who brought you to hormone replacement? Did you just do research on it? Were you having trouble? Was it a doctor? Who introduced you to hormone replacement?

SPEAKER_00 3:00

I wasn't even aware of this type of hormone, you know, the biodentical hormones. And I had had a hysterectomy two years before that, and they just give you the estrogen patches. Well, I did those for two years, and I was not feeling good. And I didn't realize, of course, until I started doing them how bad I really felt. I had migraines, I had a 10-pound weight gain that was like a tire around my middle section. No energies. Always tired, brain fog. Uh the migraines were horrible that I would get. And so I went in for my checkup at my G Y O B Y N and I just said how I was feeling. And so she started telling me about these, and I'm like, ugh, I don't know. I don't know if I want somebody inserting something in my hip, uh, the cost. I was just, and it was new. So I she goes, Well, just think about it. So I went home, took me maybe 24 hours. I'm like, I'm gonna do it, why not? See what it'll do for me. And it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

When you were on the patch, right after you had a hysterectomy, did that help at first, or was there no relief with that?

SPEAKER_00 4:19

It did help some, but the problem is all you're getting is estrogen. Yeah. And we know you also as a woman need testosterone, and I wasn't getting that. And that's what helps with your your muscles and your energy and just not being tired and and your libido, all that is affected by it.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

We recently did the libido episode. It was funny.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

We laughed a lot. I won't go into any detail on that.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

We're not doing that. So I think it's amazing that your gynecologist is the one that recommended this for you.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

And this, it was her and another one that actually brought it to St. Louis. And they're the ones that were just getting, they were already doing it themselves. And so I called the next day, said, okay, I'm gonna do it. And as you know, it takes about oh, two weeks, you really start slowly feeling the effects. And first, especially the first time, it takes a little bit longer. But then it was just like I really got into working out. I was probably at my bet physical health at that age than I was at 30, because I was working out all the time. I had a trainer and I loved it. I was working more than full-time. My job, I probably worked 50, 60 hours a week, and I could do it. And I felt good, I was happy, and of course, you know, that you knew when you needed them too, because about 10 days before, it's like, oh, my husband could just walk across the room and it would piss me off.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

It's the way he walks, and that breathing. Oh, they just couldn't say breathing. How dare he?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

They're so loud.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

So that's always was my first sign, still is my first sign. But I can't imagine not doing it. I feel like it's made my life so much better. I'll continue doing it forever, as long as I can, because it really affects your mental health and your physical. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

It's kind of crazy to think about how long ago she started these, because I feel like people think it's like this up and like this new thing, and it's like that it's really not.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

No. I mean 21 years, that's a long time.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

It's a long time, it's been around a long time.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

Right. And even though it's not approved by the FDA, FDA has recently re-lifted its restrictions on it. I think that's a testimony right there. You've been doing this for 21 years.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

And there's these poor women out there suffering through the whole stage of menopause or perimenopause without any support. And here you've got this secret weapon.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

There's just so much people don't know. Uh, I'd like to say my mother-in-law is a good example. She had a hysterectomy. They did nothing for her, no type of replacement. She ended up with a nervous breakdown. And this is back in the late 60s, and what they did back then was they did shock treatments.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

That's right, we talked about it.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yeah. And it's like so sad what that poor woman went through.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

It's of course she had a breakdown. You took all of her.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Yeah, everything was gone. Right? Yeah. You can't do it.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

I think the crash of all of that suddenly just out of your system. It's really toxic. Yeah. No wonder. Oh, it's so sad to think about.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Oh, a couple things. When she was in her workout phase, I gotta tell you, she had some, she had some arms. Really? She had some arms. Very, very toned arms.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Tone arms, muscles, the energy, the endurance. You said, what did you do for a living?

SPEAKER_01 8:15

I sold real estate. So that's she was on the move.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

All the time. 24 hours sometimes. Seven days a week. Wake up early the next day. That's amazing. She's a very good real estate agent, too. Very successful.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

So she's hustling. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Amazing. Um, would you ever envision a a time in your life that you wouldn't be doing hormone replacement therapy? Like, would you plan on stopping it?

SPEAKER_00 8:42

I will never stop it. Because I think my quality of life will go down. And I'm all about quality.

unknown 8:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Well, and it's preventative. Right. Which I don't know how people realize that.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

They have you do the bone density test. Mine has actually improved since I started doing the hormones.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

Really?

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Um, that's a testament. Right there. That's worth it. Yeah. In that. Uh I said I don't have migraines anymore. As anybody has had them, you know how they can just, you're done for the day sometimes if you get those. Even your stomach. Yeah. Everything functions and runs better when everything is working properly. Right. And this helps all that.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Yeah. Do you can still get the wear-off period when your pellets, when it's time for you to get pellets? Do you go the full three months, or do you get are you in a few years?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

No, they they want I go three every three months. Every three months. And because they really don't want to do more than that. And sometimes it and it depends. Sometimes it's like I can make it three months, no big deal. There are times you're just like, okay, yeah, I need to do these. But you can see that. The other thing is your sleep, you know, we can't forget about that, how much it affects your sleep. Definitely. And just to sleep really good.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

And you recently had a period where you were for some reason they you went through them quicker. Like remember you were kind of needing them faster. Right, yeah. And you had some horrible symptoms there.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Right. And it because sometimes you can really burn through them really fast. Yeah. And I'm sure they can't be exactly the same every time. You know, there's gonna be some differences.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Well, I think your way your body metabolizes is gonna be different, right? I mean, it is. But what happened when they were wearing last time?

SPEAKER_00 10:27

When they were wearing my sleep was horrible. It was so bad. It was I was sleeping five hours of sleep I was getting. And it and it was broken too. It was just like, oh my god, I can't keep doing this.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

And your body? Your body was aching, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:43

That's the other my other big sign is my body, the joints ache. And they said that's low estrogen. If your joints start aching, that's another sign of it.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

And I bet there's a lot of people out there that think they have like arthritis and everything. Yeah. And they don't, because then you have similar experiences with things.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

My joints are my telltale. It feels like you don't some people say, Oh, I have arthritis in my hands. I'm like, how do you explain that when your whole body feels like it has arthritis? My knees, my ankles, my wrists, my elbows. I'm I used to tell them like rice krispies.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

And don't you notice it's both your ankles or both your knees? It moves around. It's like, okay, how can my hips hurt so bad? And then the next day they don't hurt at all, but my ankles, and it's all because of low estrogen, is what causes that.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Yeah. That was my big eye opener for this round of pellets because I had to stop for a little while. I went on a sabbatical from the pellets, and I came back, and it was probably within two weeks, my joints were already feeling better.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Yes. Yeah, that's another big one, too.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah. She has a lot of stuff with her thyroid mom. Oh Nancy knows about that.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Right. You can relate to that too.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Do you have a thyroid condition?

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Which one? Are you high or low?

SPEAKER_00 11:59

I well, I'm on medicine. I had thyroid cancer. So that's the other thing is these have been safe for me to do because I had cancer 26 years ago. And I've been doing them for 21 years.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Did you have your thyroid removed?

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

Oh. Well, another reason why they're so valuable to you, I would imagine.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Yeah. Because that little thyroid.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah, that little pill means a lot too. Yeah. Agree.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Agree. It's all connected. I think people forget that. Yeah. Especially thyroid stuff, very much connected to your hormones.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Right. And a lot of women have low thyroid or don't realize that they do have a problem with that, too. Right. And they can check it. So to me.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Remind them, remind our listeners they need to get their blood work checked.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

Yes. We definitely should get it done because everybody I've re I have referred so many people to do this. Um, I know my best friend, when I started doing it, she goes, I was so jealous. I was just crying because she really wanted to do it too. And she had horrible migraines. And I'd say maybe a month after me, she started doing it too. And it's just like, oh my God, you feel so much better. It's like you get a uh, you feel like you're young again, just nothing's bothering you, and you've got that energy and everything. And I love that. It's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, it is. It's a very good thing. Um, I had two questions and I forgot. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

That's called brain fog.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

For your pellets, too, evidently. Two things. I should have written them down. Well, I have a question about when you started. So, was it your gynecologist that gave you your first round of pellets? Or how'd you find Judy? Because you're the one who introduced us to Judy.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Well, I started at a different place. And then I was um referred to Judy and started going to Judy, which has actually been about 15 years ago. And Judy, the doctor she worked for, and this other doctor I originally went to were the ones that brought these to the St. Louis area.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

Oh, now I get it. So what was the um I don't want to say breakup, but why did you why do they refer you to Judy? What what caused that uh separation?

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Cost wise. Oh and then it was the same thing, so that's why I switched was because it was getting really expensive.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

Were they plant-based back then? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Yeah, they've always been plant-based.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Judy was telling me about that, uh, the importance of knowing that they're plant-based versus synthetic, right? Right. How the synthetic ones have such negative side effects. Yeah. So that's a very huge shout-out for hormone replacement therapy, I think.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Are the synthetic ones are what can cause like the estrogen-induced uh cancer, right? Like breast cancer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Right. And that's what, do you remember there was like a ban they quit, everybody got off hormones, which did more harm than good. Uh and another thing is it can you can get dementia if your hormones aren't correct. Uh, I saw it with my own mother. I can remember that thing came out up, she didn't do any hormones. So they took my mom totally off of them. And she had dementia. And I know that had contribute because after she went off of them, you could start seeing the difference in her.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

You're kidding.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

And she aged, I feel like, rapidly from it.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

That's the other thing. You will. Yeah. You'll age more.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Yeah, I think people think that you should do hormone replacement just like through menopause, like if you're having perimenopause, and like once you get through menopause, you're good. No, no, no, no. And it's like, I mean, yeah, maybe your stuff levels out so it's not so up and down. But one, you still could have negative side effects of like your memory and brain fog, but also you're just not feeling the best. And there are preventative things, like you said, your bone density. I think it's good for your cardiovascular health.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Definitely, definitely. And your joints. You would just do your joint. The joints, just your comfort of life, really. Yeah. So why would people be afraid?

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Yeah. It's the unknown, and when the FDA is against for so long. I mean you can understand that. And there are other forms, it's not just we do pellets because of the ease of it, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:37

There are. There's other ways that you can do it. I had friends that did the creams. Yeah. Uh, you know, other ones that, yeah, there are pills and that. You gotta find what works for you. And everybody's different. And I'm sure over the years they'll adjust how much they're giving you, too. I would think with age, maybe you don't get as much. I know mine have already been adjusted down from what I originally started with.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

You don't ever get boosters.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

No.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Would you did you when you started?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

I did well, the first place I went, they didn't do that at first. And uh so I did do them for a while, but I was like, you know what, I'm gonna just see if I if I don't need it, I'm not gonna do it. And I don't. I don't need it.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

Yeah. That's the greatest part is that you control this journey.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Yeah, I love that. You know, if you don't feel like you need pellets at the end of the three months, right? You can wait.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

And there's some of our friends that can go six to eight months in between. Yeah. So everybody is different.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

We're gonna get there. That's my mother, and she has to go every 12. I don't think I'm gonna get there.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Did you try any of the other um I don't, I guess, replacement options? Did you try the cream or anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 17:56

The only thing I had done was the patches, and then, like I said, went in, they were really promoting it, and I just went right with the pellets.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Did you not get anything right after hysterectomy, or you got the patch right after your hysteractom? I got the patch right after. You never went without hormones 24 hours like somebody else had.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

No, they actually gave me a shot in the hospital.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

The doctors didn't, the doctors did not make me wait. My husband did. In which he'll be mad about this again because he's sitting it up again. He's sticking to it that he did not mess up. And I'm like, you did, but it's fine. She my mom's the one that came and got me the next day. She heard all about it.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Yeah. Oh, she was like on the front line.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

She was, she got the yeah. I was like, I just got the patch. And she's the one that took me. I think I got when did you take me to get those pellets then? Two days after.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Yeah, two days after we took you to get those.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

My very weakened self. I was looking rough. Judy was worried about me. Mom had to get me in there. But I wanted to get the pellets right away. Well, yeah. I wanted to get going on that.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

That was a smart thing that you did.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

So I got right on in there.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Yeah, if you don't have to suffer, don't suffer. Yeah. Because if there's something for it, and again, I think they've been around long enough now, uh, like me.

SPEAKER_02 19:25

We're so lucky to have you, and for you to help us on our journey is invaluable. Um, I want to go back to the beginning when you got the pellets for the first time. What did you think? I mean, I assume it was the same process. Yeah. Cut into you, stuck the pellets in.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

What were you thinking? What was going through your head, not knowing what was happening?

SPEAKER_00 19:49

I mean, I was nervous and excited. Of course, the the nurse that put them in, she was doing them, and we're within a few years, and she looked fantastic. I mean, she just had all this energy and vitality, and I was like, that motivated, and I trusted them.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

And that you have to be feel trust with whatever you're doing. So I trusted her, and I'm like, okay, if she if somebody's doing something themselves, then it's gotta be okay. Right. You know, if if she wasn't doing it, she was really pushing it, maybe I'd be a little more skeptical. But she was doing it and she looked great. It's like you just kind of get uh a glow about you when you start doing you can just see it in people's faces and everything when they do them. Just like when they need them, you can see it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

You you had she goes, when you need when they need them.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

She's looking at an Abby and she's looking at both of us. We're both a couple weeks out from meeting our next one. She's already picked up on that. It was in the introduction that gave it away.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

The listeners aren't gonna hear because I'm cutting out the first intro, but Renee announced herself as me. So we're confused on who we are today.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

Well, it's because we're sitting in different spots now. I felt like I was in your spot. You thought you just needed to be me, become you.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

I do want to ask, you mentioned something to me, Mom, when I think right after I got mine, about how you went like two years without crying.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Right, that's when you had the patch.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

She just She didn't have that emotion. She just had the anger, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

We have one emotion. It's anger. It's pissed off.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Yeah, it wasn't that bad at first. It just slowly kept getting worse. When I got the extra tire, then I knew I needed to do something.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

I mean, that tire can be depressing.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

I know.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

It it's it's weighted. Right. Not just literally weight. It's like physical, emotional weight. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Of course, Sally was making me go to Culver's every night.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

So I had an ice cream thing. I mean, I was like a, I was how old was I then? I mean, I was young. Yes. I could eat whatever I wanted.

SPEAKER_02 22:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

And I ate a lot of ice cream.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Ice cream is very comforting when you're angry out of ice cream, but I took mom down with me. Nancy, do you have any advice besides what you've already shared with the listeners? Do you have any parting words that you want to share with the listeners? I'm totally putting you on the spot too. I know anything.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Yeah. First off, I want to say you girls are doing a really good job with this podcast and getting it out there. It's just knowledge. People need to know. If you don't feel right, do something.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

I hear it every episode. There is a handful of people that tell us they learned something new or they hadn't tried something, or we have people making recommendations to us on different things. I heard so much about collagen now, I can't even believe it. And it's so great to hear so many of our listeners trying the things that we're talking about and finding success with it. So it's not just about the hormone replacement, albeit that's a big chunk of it, but it's helping manage all of these symptoms you're feeling through this icky, icky time of life and just embracing it.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

We've learned stuff. I mean, we start to I've made changes based on stuff I've learned just from the research.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Yeah. And the thing is, you don't realize it can start in your late 30s.

unknown 23:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

You can start having these symptoms and that.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

That's the worst part. Even our research said 40s and 50s. And I'm thinking, who's writing this research? Because they're clearly not the people experiencing these symptoms.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

I mean, again, it's everybody's different. I've had some people go through, friends go through the change, went through it, not a problem, no hot flashes, nothing. No, that's not they're not real. No.

SPEAKER_03 24:02

We don't we don't believe them. They might be um aliens or robots, they're lying to you.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

I don't know. There's always a few out there, but the majority have the symptoms. And I just don't see anywhere. If there's something that can help you and make you feel better, I I tell everybody have your blood work done and see where you're at. And that'll give you a good idea. I know one girl was doing them and she's no energy, and she was 39 and she had no testosterone at 39. And so she started doing that.

SPEAKER_02 24:38

And she would not have known that.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

No. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

When female is naturally thinking, oh, I'm sure I have zero testosterone, and that's why I'm feeling too much. It's just not public knowledge that females need the testosterone in the same way that men do.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

That we have testosterone. We don't need as much as the men. Right. But we all have testosterone. It's like they have some estrogen, like it's the reverse, right?

SPEAKER_03 24:59

Right.

unknown 24:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

That's so good. Thank you again for being here. We are so, so grateful for your for you sharing your story, for your honesty, um, for you telling us your children's actual ages.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

Might have fibbed a little there.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

And confirmed her favorite. Confirmed publicly. Favorite child. Got it, got it. Well, if this was an insightful conversation for you and you enjoyed hearing about Nancy's stories, you know where to find us. You can find us on Hot Flash and Sassy on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. Um, and if you have a real story that you'd like to share, feel free to email us at hotflash and sassy at gmail.com. Do you want to take them out?

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Sure. All right. Uh remember, new episodes drop every Thursday. So until next time, stay cool, stay curious, and keep bringing the sass. Thanks for listening to Hot Flash and Sassy. And thank you, Nancy. Yes, thank you, mom.

SPEAKER_04 26:01

You're loving it.