NOTABLE: Hormone replacement therapy rant part 2. Your turn!
If I hear "there aren't any studies on that" one more time, I may combust
There’s been A LOT of chatter about the new SATC, And Just Like That… (yes, ellipses are part of the title, it’s like they’re doing everything they can think of to irk writers). But the scent in the air that troubles me is that the writers hate older women. Something about this trivializes the very real problems older women have that they do broach, renegade children, marriages breaking up, mental fog. Don’t get me wrong, I’m horrified by the show. But not because of the issues these women face, just how badly it’s done. I watched a “conversation” between Charlotte and Anthony where each held a one-sided monologue that barely recognized the other person. Uh, 50-year-old me doesn’t put up with “relationships” like that. It’s like the show was written by people studying Facebook rants, but without the lived experience to take the idea to its real world conclusion.
Or maybe I’m just sick of talking about hating women (old or young), and more interested in talking about topics of interest to people who identify as female.
That said, let’s get back to the hormone replacement therapy saga. For a deeper dive on how I got here, the conflicting information I had to sort through regarding available HRT options and the potential health risks, check out my Substack on that:
Essentially, I was psyched to ditch the pellets I’d gotten on in favor of the lozenges. For a hot minute.
The troches (TRO-keys, medical parlance for lozenges) were unbearable. They took forever to dissolve, forming a thick coating as I inevitably fell asleep, leading to a foul morning and arousing the distinct possibility of Trenchmouth. The zero side effects (besides falling asleep) made it feel like they weren’t doing anything. And when I did manage to stay awake to re-brush my teeth, I felt like I was scrubbing out the medication. Worse, this didn’t quite fix the morning breath problem. So when I went back to the “regular” doc, I asked for the cream.
At that appointment I learned (2 weeks into my troche treatment) that my hormone levels were in good shape, but that could still owe to pellet remnants. By the time I am next tested, it will be all about these new prescriptions.
My feelings about the cream are mixed. The prescription comes in plastic tubes that, when twisted, squirt out a dollop of the cream. Doesn’t feel or behave super precise since the splatters are inconsistent. And again, this treatment doesn’t feel like it’s doing anything. But is that bad? What this really tells me is that I’m accustomed to something that’s good for me feeling bad, probably because it wasn’t designed with women in mind. I don’t want adverse affects now or later.
It’s the later that’s the problem. The fear of cancer and dementia still looms. When I consider stopping again, I remember my broken leg. In general, I feel stronger in my body. Difficult to quantify, but not something I want to give up. Also, HRT has reinvigorated my vaginal walls, an undeniable sexual enhancer but not insurmountable in other ways.
Interestingly, estrogen cream is suddenly all over the news as a wonder drug face cream. In the space of one week in May, The Cut ran two separate articles about it, one positive, one skeptical. In the positive piece, the doctor they quote admits she’s using herself as a test case, stating that there aren’t any long-term well-researched studies about efficacy. Both articles cite a lack of data on safety to underscore their points, proving once more that you can use data (or lack thereof) to prove anything. Meanwhile, WTF for those of us that need this stuff now?
My new memoir is out Sept 26. Available in ebook, paper, hard cover, and audiobook formats (though audio isn’t available as a preorder). If you already preordered but aren’t sure if you’re signed up for the workshop, fill out this form.
All of which leaves me with questions for you:
Have you tried HRT? What was (or is) that like for you?
What’s your favorite resource for information? How are you navigating the maze?
How do we get doctors to be more knowledgeable about the broad range of patients that they surely see? Do we need a new specialty practice for doctors to specialize in that considers care mature patients? Something between GP and gerontologist?
Have you ever been frustrated by a doctor not giving adequate instructions on medication? Or am I not asking the right questions?
Things I’ve recently read, watched or listened to and loved:
Listened
The Storied Human.
Oh hey, this one has ME!
The Rules: If Books Could Kill
Part of me listened to see how they might mischaracterize the era; it was a different time. Not a factor. They go after this “classic” dating text in delightful ways.
Watched:
Voicebox: A storytelling and live music show in Chicago.
A friend invited me to her story show and I was delighted by the entire experience. And because I didn’t have to produce the evening’s entertainment, I only remembered to grab some footage at the end. That’s how much I enjoyed myself.
Read:
The Cut, on estrogen face creams
Other people’s Substacks :