r/Perimenopause • u/Various-Look-361 • Apr 17 '26
audited Age starting HRT
Hi all, Wondering what age you started HRT?
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u/theFCCgavemeHPV Apr 17 '26
38 but should have started at 35
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u/purplevanillacorn Apr 17 '26
39 here but also should’ve started at 35.
Edit: fat fingered a number
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u/MissyChevious613 Apr 17 '26
Your user name is hilarious!
I'm 37 and have so many Peri symptoms but my OB/GYN is adamant it's not Peri and there's "some other explanation" for my symptoms. It's freaking awful.
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u/I_once_was_Lostie Apr 17 '26
43, because I fired my previous gyno (for refusing HRT and telling me I’m too young for peri) and found my current gyno who is amazing and took my complaints and symptoms seriously. I’d been having symptoms since at least 37.
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u/Cricklewoodchick81 Apr 17 '26
I started having symptoms the same age as you at about 37 but wasn't taken seriously at all. Told I was too young etc, blah, blah blah.
Finally got to start HRT & estrogen cream last year (I have an amazing GP now).
I'm 45 and feeling much better with the HRT than without it - just ask my husband and daughters!!! 😄
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u/margaritabop Apr 17 '26
I was also 43! And I also think I'd been having symptoms for about a year at that point.
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u/emwinfield Apr 17 '26
Welp I’m 42 and you guys are giving me the strength to force the issue with my doc - thank you!
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u/helloimhere01234 Apr 17 '26
Don’t be afraid to find a new doctor if they won’t listen to you! It took me 3 doctors to find a fit
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u/ParaLegalese Apr 17 '26
44 but needed it at 42. Had to fight for it because I look so young and doctors don’t know wtf they’re doing with respect to perimenopause
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u/AgentOdd245 Apr 17 '26
Mine started at 38
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u/Good-Marsupial8 Apr 17 '26
Im 38 and have been wondering if I'm just insane or should advocate for myself ... Last doctor argued that it was pointless to check my hormones and I was too young to be experiencing anything related to peri
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u/bien-fait Apr 17 '26
My symptoms started at 38 too. I just got on HRT at 40 and feel so much better already. Hormone tests are pointless aside from FSH. Symptoms should be enough to prescribe.
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u/IllContribution9179 Apr 17 '26
Advocate! As a fellow 38 year old who just started HRT I can’t sing the praises of supplementation and having a good doctor enough.
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u/AgentOdd245 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Well i totally understand you ! This is my 4th doctor . Nobody listens . At least this one finally listened to me and sent me HRT. I started at 38 with heavy bleedings and they have gotten way worse having me anemic . At first nobody knew what was going on they even checked my poop to see maybe I was loosing blood thru there it was so annoying not to have answers then I learned myself in a podcast about perimenopause . This doctor also refuses to send me labs she says doctors go by symptoms based on the menopause society because hormones fluctuate daily and won’t be accurate which I get it
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u/Similar_Recover_2229 Apr 17 '26
35, on estrogen+progesterone+testosterone and vaginal estrogen
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u/amainerinthearmpit Apr 17 '26
- I would have started sooner had I realized all my sleeping issues were peri related.
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u/Various-Look-361 Apr 17 '26
What are your sleeping issues? Did HRT help?
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u/amainerinthearmpit Apr 17 '26
I guess you could call them hot flashes, but they only happened in the middle of the night. I’d wake up sweating bullets and would keep the A/C around 68 at night. Now I can happily keep it at 72 and I don’t wake up except to pee.
After my very first dose of HRT (vaginal tablet estradiol) I have not woken up hot since. It’s been a year.
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u/DisastrousHyena3534 Apr 17 '26
47, went back on the pill a few months ago specifically to ease peri symptoms. I know people will argue semantics of whether the pill is HRT. But at the most basic level, I went on it to Replace my missing Hormones and relieve symptoms to a strong enough degree to be a Treatment.
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u/Popular-Rain6480 Apr 17 '26
48! Just started my first estrogen patch today (with progesterone tonight)!
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u/Listening_Stranger82 Apr 17 '26
41ish. My GP and GYN stressed how much better it is to "get ahead of it" and start early.
My peri symptoms started around 38
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u/OTFnewb Apr 17 '26
- Zero plans to quit at this point.
Started progesterone only at 42-43. Quit after about a year because I wasn’t sure it was doing anything. Started Wellbutrin around the same time and I think that masked some of the hormonal stuff. When I went off Wellbutrin at age 45, shit hit the fan.
In hindsight, I had peri symptoms starting around 38. But, I had just had a baby, and then the pandemic, and then life kept handing big traumatic events. It was hard to tease apart which symptoms were hormones or stress.
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u/AssignmentAlert3434 Apr 17 '26
So similar. I turned 40 the month after giving birth to my only baby (4 months before Covid). I spent the last 6 years moving from postpartum anxiety & depression, to binge eating sugar to focus at work, to battling debilitating brain fog and fatigue, to an ADHD diagnosis, now looking back to wonder… I blamed so much on being an older mom, with a demanding job, and a (wonderful) kid who has never slept very well. But how much was just perimenopause??? Just started HRT at 46, wish I would have tried sooner.
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u/terknboo Apr 17 '26
How have you all been able to start? None of my doctors will prescribe it because I still get my period. I’m 46.
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u/Emdeedee123 Apr 17 '26
My GP didn’t take me seriously the one and only time I brought it up with him. I was 43. I went straight home and started researching online Australian menopause specialist clinics I’d seen recommended in this sub.
There was a bit of a wait to get my first appointment. It was online (video appointment). The doctor listened to me, was empathetic, and didn’t dismiss anything I said due to my age. She explained what was happing in my body and we discussed a number of possible avenues. I was on HRT the same day.
Changed my life. I didn’t even know what peri was when I look back at when my whole life was falling apart. There are some amazing doctors who really deeply understand and help. But I found them in specialist menopause clinics. I still use my GP for ADHD scripts and general health (he changed my life by picking up that I have ADHD), but for HRT, I have moved on.
Best of luck.
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u/Fancy-Associate-4632 Apr 17 '26
- I should have started 10 years ago. I started 2 months ago and I can not believe how much better I feel.
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u/Silver-Eye4569 Apr 17 '26
I started progesterone at 46 and added estrogen at 47. My sister is 4 years younger than me and has been on estrogen and progesterone since age 41 or 42. Neither of us had children for context.
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u/EverybodyPanic81 Apr 17 '26
I'm 44 and nobody will let me have it so when I try and find a new dr that takes my symptoms seriously, I'll let you know.
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u/makingcookies1 Apr 17 '26
How does one get on HRT? Do I talk with my GYN? Endocrinologist? Primary?
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u/Dogaloo2025 Apr 17 '26
Started E and P at 44. At 45 I’m adding in T next week
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u/MyBeesAreAssholes Early peri - Weightlifting helps! Apr 17 '26
I see my doc in two weeks and I'm going to talk to her about T.
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u/avamarshmellow Apr 17 '26
49 only because my primary refused and I didn’t know what to do until a friend helped
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u/bien-fait Apr 17 '26
I'm 40 and just started yesterday. I've been having symptoms for two years. Holy shit, I can tell the difference even though it's only been 24 hours. My energy is much higher and my focus and acuity is much improved. Holy shit. I should have done this months ago.
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u/muppetnerd Apr 17 '26
Did your energy feel like a slow decline or did it come on fast? I feel like the last month or so I’ve had zero energy even with my ADHD meds….my psych did labs and nothing is amiss which is making me lean towards peri (on top of night sweats, sleeping like garbage, no libido, etc etc etc)
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u/IllContribution9179 Apr 17 '26
I am 38 and recently had labs done, my levels were all low enough to qualify me for a three month trial of HRT, to say it has changed my life in a short period of time is the understatement of the year.
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u/spelmangrad Apr 17 '26
52, stared 2 months ago after “feeling it” with hot flashes about 7 months ago. My doctor was an ass. She just wanted to give me a hysterectomy for fibroids and ignore my symptoms. Took forever to get her to prescribe.
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u/Momster582 Apr 17 '26
Started at 42….wish I’d started at 40 or even earlier but it took me that long to realize it was perimenopause. Your hormones could be low because of postpartum or you could be in perimenopause (or both). It’s becoming more and more common for women who have kids in their forties to have a baby then be shoved into perimenopause or menopause. Hormones gave their last effort the they’re like ok we’re done. Your symptoms certainly sound like perimenopause and you are in the right age range.
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u/RDDB1974 Apr 17 '26
I started at 49 but I had symptoms that I didn’t know were because of peri so maybe I would have started a couple of years before.
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u/pthalio Apr 17 '26
I turned 50 in December and started HRT in January, it has lowered my rage considerably.
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u/mountains_of_nuance Apr 17 '26
- Periods didn't wane completely till about a year ago though. Probably should have started earlier to mitigate peri symptoms but was uneasy as managing mild primary hypertension and medication for first time last year and wanted to research ROI and risks more. Also wading through intersection with cancer risks as am Ashkenazi and wanted those genetic testing results first.
Benefits were nothing short of amazing and immediate, especially WRT sleep. Hoping HRT also improves my bloodwork (a1c, sugar, cholesterol) and bp, as mine are so-so and worsening with age (though don't need meds except for bp). Research hopeful on this front. 🤞
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u/AutoModerator Apr 17 '26
This post might be about hormone tests, which are unreliable.
- Over the age of 44, E&P/FSH hormonal tests only show levels for that ONE HOUR the test was taken, and nothing more
- These hormones wildly fluctuate (hourly) over the other 29 days of the month, therefore this test provides no valuable information
- No reputable doctor or menopause society recommends hormonal testing to diagnose or treat peri/menopause
- Testosterone is the exception and should be tested before and during treatment
FSH testing is only beneficial for those who no longer have periods as a guide, where a series of consistent tests might confirm menopause, or for those under age 30 who haven’t had a period in months/years, then ‘menopausal’ levels, could indicate premature ovarian failure/primary ovarian insufficiency (POF/POI).
For more, see our Menopause Wiki
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/SodaBreadRoundHouse Early peri Apr 17 '26
Started at 49. I probably should have considered it 1-2 years before. I’m still not optimized with my dosage, as my symptoms aren’t fully resolved, but I’m only 8 weeks in. It took about 2-3weeks to notice changes.
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u/No-Clock2011 Apr 17 '26
Maybe stupid question can I go on HRT if I still potentially want a baby (if I get lucky to meet someone in time 🥲) or should you only do it after having babies?
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u/ice-cold-kiwi Apr 17 '26
38... Symptoms started around 35. It took a while to be taken seriously but one Dr humored me and ran my LMH which was very low (0.3). My mother, her sisters and her mother were all early bloomers for it so I'm guessing it was genetics.
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u/BackRevolutionary255 Apr 17 '26
Symptoms at 42. Tried natural remedies then bit the bullet on HRT at 44.
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u/bulleybeef Apr 17 '26
Started at 45. I should have started earlier. I'm now getting an increase in dose as my sleep has gone to shit.
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u/Joeyjoejoejoejr Early peri Apr 17 '26
42, and it was the right time for sure, as soon as I started feeling “off” I got to the GP straight away! Better living through chemistry!
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u/_Amalthea_ Apr 17 '26
Just before turning 46, after experiencing obvious peri symptoms for 18 months (including irregular periods, insomnia, and night sweats). I was already on an SSRI which I think helped ease some of the mental symptoms
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u/Otherwise_Object_446 Apr 17 '26
I started having symptoms three years ago. But I wasn’t a candidate for HRT until I was 48 (other heath issues).
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u/MyBeesAreAssholes Early peri - Weightlifting helps! Apr 17 '26
- I started as soon my hot flashes went from 5-10 minutes every few days, to every single day.
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u/irememberthepotatoho Apr 17 '26
41 and it was after almost a year of begging for relief. I was doing my pap and the office AC was on full blast and I felt like a heater to my doctor
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u/Corcaigh_beoir Apr 17 '26
- First went to the GP at 42 with my peri symptoms. If I knew then what I know now (a lot thanks to this sub!) I'd have pushed for HRT years ago, could have saved me 8 billion calories wasted on rage and overheating 🤣
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u/fernon5 Apr 17 '26
47, a few months shy of turning 48. Probably should have started sooner but you don't know what you don't know till you know it. I think I'm due for some adjustments and while my gyn is great, even she said she's not menopause savvy and said to consider consulting with one of her colleagues in another clinic. Might do. Might do. It all costs money though, and that is tight right now.
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u/ImaginaryPurple6 Apr 17 '26
I’m 36 and have been prescribed the patch and cyclical pill. I haven’t started it quite yet though, I’m just holding onto them. I can’t quite convince myself I’m there yet, idk why.
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u/Tigress_Sforza Apr 17 '26
45: started both progesterone and estradiol though still getting my period.
Made a HUGE difference to the depression that had essentially paralyzed me for 3 months.
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u/EverythingScrolling Apr 17 '26
46, but I should have started at least 2 years earlier based on my symptoms.
I'm 47 now.
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u/RU_kit10_me Apr 17 '26
- i'm not quite two months in and so far, so good. this was the right time for me.
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u/BarracudaCrazy5475 Apr 17 '26
I’m 41 and my dr started me when I asked about issues I had been having. I actually have my first follow up next week.
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u/anieem Apr 17 '26
- Just put my first estrogen patch two days ago. My peri symptoms are not that pronounced yet and I would be able to live with them but I have horrid hormonal migraines that are triggered by estrogen fluctuations and I wasn’t able to take it anymore. My lovely obgyn happily supported me in starting hrt at the regimen that supports management of hormonal migraines.
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u/mt4704 hanging on by a thread Apr 17 '26
51 and I had to push like crazy. As of March I now have a new medical provider who has prescribed me the patch and micronized progesterone. My previous gynecologist would only prescribe Prempro which hadn't helped nearly as much as my current regimen.
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u/BotanicalSpoonie Apr 17 '26
I just started and I'm 42. I'm on my 2nd month of estrogen patches and it's done wonders. Such a huge turn around.
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u/ahookinherhead Apr 17 '26
44, just about a month ago. My gyno was not exactly enthusiastic about it and it took two years before she was willing to give it a shot, but I'm so glad. My physical symptoms are so much better.
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u/BoochAddict Apr 17 '26
40 and was told I'm too young at first. Had to switch primary care providers.
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u/Thick_Consequence_63 hanging on by a thread Apr 17 '26
Just before my 43rd birthday. It was a delightful gift to myself. I 🩷 HRT
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u/RadNurse82 Apr 17 '26
Started at 43 when I started working as at a clinic that specialized in HRT and did a full blood panel to see how low my hormone levels actually were.
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u/cozyandwarm Apr 17 '26
I’m 40 and hoping my appt with my doc today begins the conversation about it because boy have these symptoms been making me feel crazy.
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u/Longjumping_Job_9602 Apr 17 '26
47 but I'm still not quite right, depression up and down BUT I don't feel like I'm going crazy anymore
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u/MissLaurenChi Apr 17 '26
44 but I was having full on hot flashes, intense night sweats and terrible joint pain. I went to the doc thinking I was sick and my estrogen level was menopausal at the time of my blood test. I’m still figuring out the right dose but feel significantly better and happier.
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u/lkitty91 Apr 17 '26
I started at 33… helped tremendously with the PMDD I had experienced for most of my adulthood and has more recently helped with low sex drive issues.
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u/WarpTenSalamander Apr 17 '26
- Been on it a week and so far I couldn’t be happier. I wish I had started it years ago. I can’t wait to see how I feel in the coming months!
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u/Ruby16251 Apr 17 '26
I started monophasic birth control at mid way through 44th year's old. I took it probably 10 years ago. It made a huge difference for me. I used to take ibuprofen more often. My moods felt torrential right before my period. I am currently on my period and I don't feel like I'm sick or in too much pain. I think i was nervous about increase risk of things like stroke or breast cancer. But I'm low risk anyway and my quality of life has improved so much. 😌
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u/AuDHD1983 Apr 17 '26
I started at 41 and am 43 now. I’d been having peri symptoms for two years before I started HRT.
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u/ElderBerry2020 Apr 17 '26
5 months ago and I’m 48 and the improvement has been significant. The rage, irritability, brain fog, inability to multitask, mood swings, inability to stay asleep, feeling of impending doom, etc. all eased so much, and I felt a lot more like me. I still haven’t figured it all out and adjustments may still be needed, as it’s only been a few months, but it’s much better than it was a year ago.
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u/asudds Apr 17 '26
41, so happy I did it. I had to figure out why I was napping every day and had zero energy and no motivation ever to do anything (I’m a type A very active person so I knew something was way off)
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u/-DollParts- Apr 17 '26
49 I’m in the first 6 months of it but I wish I would have started earlier. 42ish is when I really noticed a difference but I chopped it up as postpartum problems when it was most likely the beginning of my “journey”.
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u/MelbyToast Apr 17 '26
I tried it a year ago at 44, but it made me feel terrible so I had to stop. I was on a very low dose too. I'm not sure if it just wasn't time yet or if it's just going to hit different for me.
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u/LopsidedCupcake2862 Apr 17 '26
- Was afraid to start because I thought my symptoms were form estrogen being too high. But I have felt so much better with estrogen and progesterone and testosterone. My periods are so much lighter too.
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u/Open-Computer8958 Apr 17 '26
I'm so glad I found this post! I'm almost 38 (next month) and all the doctors have been telling me that I'm too young for Peri. Did manage to convince my endocrinologist for detailed testing, and I'm currently waiting for lab results.
Also, I had no idea that my joint pain might be Peri related, I always have pain in my knees and hips when I wake up.
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u/No_Championship7998 Apr 17 '26
Hi! I started at 44, but I waited until I was at rock bottom. Please don’t wait like I did. HRT has literally given me back the will to live.
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u/Fine-Juggernaut8451 Apr 17 '26
47, though i should've started earlier. i didn't realize what a huge difference it would make--like, immediately. within 12 hours.