Night and day sweats after coming off HRT

Do previous problems with the Pill rule out HRT?

Hot flushes

I'd like to come off HRT. What should I do?

Question
I finally came off HRT six months ago because I was bleeding non-stop, despite the fact it was HRT designed for women whose periods have ceased.

Since then I've been suffering from night sweats, day sweats and hot flushes. I don't particularly want to go back on HRT, but what can I take to deal with these 'hot spots'?

Answer
I presume that before you started HRT, your periods had been stopped for over a year.

Was the HRT one that you took with a break each month, or every three months, or continuously? If it was one where you took it every month with a break, sometimes bleeding is suppressed by using one of the continuous preparations.

I can understand you being wary of taking HRT again, but these night and day sweats and flushes must be a real trial.

There is something else you could try, which is a plant-derived product called phytoestrogen. These are isoflavones - naturally occurring substances that have a mild oestrogenic effect. They are found in higher concentrations in soya products, pulses and lentils. There is good evidence they can help hot flushes, but they do not prevent osteoporosis.

They are not available on prescription, but a health food or herbal medicine shop will probably stock them. One form I know of is called Phyto Soya and is a capsule made by a French company called Arkopharma.

They will not do you any harm, and taking them for a while may reduce your flushes to a tolerable level. You can also get phytoestrogen-rich bread from some supermarkets.

If that doesn't help, then I think you need to have another discussion with your doctor. There are other prescribable medicines that do not contain standard HRT that may help, such as Livial.

Yours sincerely

Dr Keith Barnard, GP

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