Menopause relief

Thank you for highlighting menopause (“Lifting the fog”, January 22) and particularly hormone replacement therapy (HRT). My menopause symptoms weren’t subtle; they walloped me with a hot, soggy blanket. There is nothing worse than sitting in a boardroom full of men while experiencing hot flushes every 30 minutes, trying to ignore that sweaty-beetroot feeling.

Having such frequent flushes meant sleep was almost impossible, especially during a humid Auckland summer.

I did some research at the time, but apparently HRT was “very bad for you”, so after I’d spent two years trying many unsuccessful herbal remedies, my GP did, thankfully, prescribe HRT. I didn’t call them my “happy pills” for nothing; I would not have been able to function in my high-stress job without them, let alone cope with everyday life.

After I moved to Christchurch in 2013, my new GP was rather HRT-resistant and, in 2017, advised that I had been taking my happy pills for too long, making me wean off them, despite there being no family history of breast cancer, and despite yearly (clear) mammograms.

Three years later, I still miss the quality of life HRT gave me, and a mild form of flushes has returned. I am glad HRT/MHT therapy is being looked at in a new light, as many women who are suffering could find relief and something that resembles normality.

Sue Carline-Wright

(Kirwee)

Upfront (January 22) showed the importance of women in understanding their biology, especially menopause. As the label of the phenomenon, men o’ pause, suggests, males should stop and think before making any comment.

Dr Nicholas Martin

(Auckland)

HYDROGEN QUESTIONS

Lawrence Watt’s article (“Hydrogen or hot