Weighing up the benefits and risks of MHT

Weighing up the benefits and risks of MHT

🧍🏽‍♀️ Why your experience matters

When people talk about MHT, the focus is often on risks versus benefits. But here’s the thing: you can’t truly weigh that balance unless you understand what the benefits actually are for you.

For years, many doctors were taught that MHT is only for hot flushes and only for short-term use. This has left some hesitant to prescribe it, which means many people miss out on the full picture.

Data shows that when doctors aren’t confident about prescribing MHT, they often avoid it. This hesitancy usually comes from outdated guidelines that view MHT as mainly for hot flushes and only for short-term use. But in my experience, MHT can offer so much more than that.



📚 Beyond the textbooks

Here’s what people often tell me after starting MHT:

“I feel like myself again.”
“I’m not afraid of my own reactions anymore.”
“My brain is working again."

These are not just minor changes, they can be life-changing. I didn’t learn that from a textbook–I learned it from listening to my patients.




📈 Why statistics don’t tell the whole story

Statistics can tell us about risks and benefits in large groups, but they can’t always capture what MHT can mean for an individual, like feeling calmer, clearer, and more connected to yourself again.

That’s why this course doesn’t just look at the evidence and guidelines. We’ll also talk about:

  • The lived experiences of real people
  • How hormones impact daily life
  • Making a safe and personal decision

Because safe prescribing isn’t just about following rules. It’s about putting you at the centre and making decisions that fit your life, while staying open to what we’re still learning.




🌀 Case history: The unexpected impact of MHT on pain

“I can walk again!”

Early in my MHT prescribing journey, I met a woman who had been on quetiapine (a medicine to help her sleep*) for years and was determined to come off it. We started hormone therapy, and at her follow-up, she said something I’ll never forget...

“I can’t believe it - my ankle that I broke 10 years ago doesn’t hurt anymore. I can walk up the hills again.”

It was the kind of benefit we don’t talk about enough. With MHT, her chronic pain eased, her mobility improved, and she’d regained a part of her life she thought was gone for good.

This isn’t an isolated case. Research, even as far back as the late 1800s–has noted a link between hormones and chronic pain, especially musculoskeletal and joint pain. Yet, it’s still not something we routinely consider when prescribing. There is even a condition called 'Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause'.

It taught me an important lesson...

MHT isn’t just for hot flushes and mood–it can also improve movement, ease pain, and restore quality of life in ways we don’t always expect. Real-world stories like this matter. They remind us to keep learning, listening, and expanding what we think hormone therapy can do.
*Quetiapine is a medicine originally developed for mood and thought disorders; at higher doses it treats these conditions, while at low doses it is sometimes used for sleep. It can cause weight gain and, with long-term use, may affect memory and thinking.

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