hormone replacement therapy

@littleoaksc52 That would be a good question to ask the doctor who is prescribing your hormone replacement. What it does is replace hormones that are deficient because of aging and menopause, and kind of "resets" the body so it functions similar to when you were younger. Depending on what levels of hormones you have, it can improves dryness by increasing secretions. Typically doctors prescribe just enough hormones to stop hot flashes and try not to over do it and set you back to the way things were functioning in your 20's. It can also cause cycles if there is too much estrogen causing growth of the lining inside the uterus. They try not to create that situation because it can obscure the presence of a tumor on imaging. They try to only allow a very thin lining to grow, and if that cycles, it isn't much to deal with.

Thanks, Jennifer. I didn't mention that I don't have a uterus or ovaries since age 29 when I had a pan-hysterectomy for severe endometriosis. I am now 70 y.o. Been on ERT since then, and don't want to stop now. So this discharge must be from the vaginal wall. Right?

@littleoaksc52 As I am not a medical professional, and no one can give a diagnosis here on Connect, I'm not qualified to answer that question, but I can tell you (because I have studied histology) that there are cells in the vaginal wall that produce lubrication. Would you ask your prescribing doctor about it just in case it could be something to be concerned about? You are in a unique position because you don't have to worry about an endocrine induced uterine or ovarian tumor. Has someone told you to stop hormone replacement? I have bioidentical compounded HRT. My doctor has said I can do that as long as I wish.

@littleoaksc52 Has the vaginal discharge increased lately? Is there a color to it, or a smell? We aren't medical professionals here on Mayo Clinic Connect but we can help you to figure out the questions to ask and where to get information.

Is your doctor a gynecologist? I would ask the prescribing doctor the question about vaginal discharge, hopefully, a gynecologist, who is well versed in HRT. If you haven't already done so it would be a good idea to schedule an appointment because the doctor should do a physical examination if the vaginal discharge is something new.

You didn't ask this question but I will share that whether or not a person takes HRT has been very controversial over the past few decades. Also, your body doesn't know the difference between different kinds of HRT. Whether or not you take HRT and the kind of HRT you take varies from one person to another and depends on your own medical history including your risks and benefits.

Do you have other questions or is this helpful to you?

I am a 79 year old intersex woman. I never had any really functional ovaries or uterus, and I take hormone replacements for many years now (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone). I took quite high doses of estrogen until last year. I had blood levels of 256 pg/ml, and was reduced to 112 pg/ml now (to reduce breast cancer risks and to prevent DVT). Because of the reduction, I now have to apply vaginal estrogen cream 3 times a week to prevent any skin damage.
I never experienced any excessive vaginal drainage caused by my hormone treatments.
I would ask my doctor to make sure you have no other problems.

Hello,
Are you able to refer me to a good doctor for bio identical compounded HRT?

Thanks

@dianag7 I think your best bet is to contact a compounding pharmacy in your area. They would know the doctors who are writing orders for them. The pharmacy my doctor uses in Rock Valley Compounding. They do mail order business. My doctor is part of Forum Health and they are a group of doctors across the country for functional medicine. You may find someone there on their website.

I truly appreciate you quick response. I have visited every doctor in the medical arena. I am 55 and I’m hot all the time. It is affecting my life.

Thank you

@dianag7 You're welcome. It's not just hot flashes, it can be aches and pains, memory issues, not sleeping, fatigue and that affects everything. I think it gets better as you get a bit older and your body adjusts to the "new normal".

Good afternoon,

Does your doctor accept out-of-state clients? I have tried a few, but I continues to have an abundance of symptoms. I need a good functional medicine doctor as well. I plan to visit Mayo Clinic for digestive issues. My gastro thinks it maybe SIBO.

Take care