I guess I'm breaking all the rules. I had a complete hysterectomy at age 29 (22 years ago) and have been on HRT ever since. My ob/gyn scaled it back several years ago to a lower dose but I plan to stay on it as long as she will write me a script for it! I still have hot flashes occasionally but the positives outweigh the negatives for me right now. FWIW, I use the FemRing. It's wonderful! No pills to take (or forget). Just a simple ring placed in the vagina and replaced every 3 months. I love it.