Angelique (57): "After three weeks of hormone therapy, I felt like myself again"

Reading time: approx. 3 minutes

Last updated on: 29 January 2026

Author:Editors SeeMe-nopause

Angelique (57) works as a nurse in obstetrics and gynaecology at a hospital. She has two grown-up children who moved out a few years ago and now lives alone with her dog. She leads an active social life, balancing it with her work and hobbies, such as motorcycling and attending concerts. For many years, she used the contraceptive pill and barely noticed the effects of menopause. However, this changed when she stopped taking the pill at the age of 50. Angelique shares: “A year after I stopped taking the pill, I began struggling with night shifts and felt depressed.”

Angelique experienced significant challenges during menopause. She was keen to start hormone therapy, but her GP held a different view. This meant she had to explore alternative options.

When I started taking hormone tablets, I felt like myself again within three weeks.

Suddenly, I was in menopause

When she stopped taking the pill at 50, her periods didn’t return. “So I don’t know exactly when I reached menopause, and I only realised later that I was going through it. About a year after I stopped taking the pill, I noticed I wasn’t feeling well. It wasn’t due to hot flushes but mainly mental. I felt gloomy, depressed, and completely unlike myself,” Angelique explains.

Searching for a solution

After some time, she realised it wasn’t just her but likely menopause causing her symptoms. “I shared my symptoms with my GP, but he literally said: I don’t think hormones are a good idea; they cause breast cancer. I told him that statement was based on an outdated study, but he still refused to cooperate.”

Thanks to her work in the hospital, Angelique found another path: “As a nurse in obstetrics and gynaecology, I could easily approach a gynaecologist. I told him: I’m missing something. I need hormones, or I’ll throw myself off a mountain in Nepal, and I can’t do that to my daughter.”

Starting hormone therapy

The gynaecologist prescribed hormone therapy. “When I started taking hormone tablets, I felt like myself again within three weeks. It was incredible how quickly it worked. At first, I thought it might be psychological. But no, it really worked.”

What was her experience with hormone therapy?

Angelique: “Before starting hormones, I had extremely depressive feelings and wasn’t doing much. After taking the hormones, I felt much better. I could exercise again, felt much more like myself, and got my life back. I no longer had depressive feelings or hot flushes. My menopause symptoms were minimal.”

I discussed my symptoms with my employer, which allowed me to stop working night shifts.

Her advice for other women going through menopause?

Although she advocates hormone therapy, Angelique believes it’s a personal decision. Angelique: “I hear from many women around me who benefit from using hormones. If you no longer recognise yourself because of all the symptoms, hormones are definitely worth trying. After three weeks, I already felt like myself again.”

Perhaps you recognise some of the symptoms in this story. Are you wondering if you might be going through menopause? The menopause test can provide you with some initial answers.