A  while ago, I discussed something similar  by email with another woman and after much thought  I came to the following still interim interpretations. Caution: gross generalizations follow.

When someone (anyone) first experiences  phenomena which are not only unusual but are of a type that she has been led to believe are dangerous eg "hemorrhaging" or possible stroke/heart attack symptoms, she naturally ascribes a medical (disease) cause to them and wisely seeks medical assitance.  Medical problems are frequently treated with drugs so it is reasonable to accept a pill if offered, especially if accompanied by a credible explanation of the mechanism and value of them.

At this point, anxiety lessens, possibly from the drug's effects on the symptoms and certainly from the reassurance that there is nothing seriously wrong. An alternative scenario would be finding a support group whether online or in "real life" and realizing that these assumed to be unique symptoms are in fact a normal part of life. Only when a degree of physical and mental comfort  has been achieved do the various styles of approach as offered in the Menosong post start to take effect.

I am convinced that what does happens then is entirely influenced by the general cognitive style and worldview of the woman.

A woman who has always been looked after, always accepted authority and who in effect feels powerless needs the reassurance of an outside agent to keep her safe - in this context, a pill. My email corresponent wondered whether the decline of religion had anything to do with women needing HRT, which on first sight seemed a stretch! On consideration, I think she's absolutely right. Those who believe that there is a higher power looking out for them, and that this higher power has reasons for whatever happens and whatever happens is for the utimate good,  can face the future with hopeful equanimity. They don't have to *rely* on medical intervention, though they may use it on occasion - after all, the HP presumably provided medicine.

Of the people who come to asm, the new arrivals usually are somewhat anxious, how anxious depending upon the perceived severity of their symptoms. They often *really* want a pill, a cure of some sort so that they can return to their usual comfortable wellknown operating style. Who wouldn't?

Their responses to the predictable posts about the down side of HRT and the fact that there is no compulsion to take it etc seem to fall into 3 camps:

 1:Those who enquire for greater detail, consider it and decide that in their case they need the HRT for their present symptoms despite knowing  and accepting the risks and ambiguities. Typically they either thank the cautionary posters for their input or are neutral towards them. As they take responsibility for their own informed decision I suspect these are people who work strongly from intellectual aspects and have confidence in their reasoning power. They are likely to be accustomed to following their own path.

 2 Those who do all of the above, except their judgement of the risk/benefit balance falls on the *don't* take it side so they either don't start, or stop. They usually thank the cautionary posters and often add their voices to the cautions. Sometimes this stance develops over time after an initial resentment and resistance of the cautions.

 3. Those who *have* to have the pill work feel this way because they have no other method of coping and have no history of finding out for themselves how to operate in vague and uncertain terrrain. Viewing life and the world as disorganized and upredictable, they do not want to hear cautions because that would pull the rug out from under their feet. They work more from emotional reactions and react easily to stimulus. Cautionary posts frighten them and they respond by attacking the messenger rather than the message, though sometimes as they become more knowledgeable and used to the situation they do evolve into one or other of the above types.

Returning to the religion/spiritual aspect, I wonder how many of the philosophically opposed to HRT posters do believe in some sort of higherpower/organising principle? I would suspect a very high proportion. I do and this supplies the necessary faith that all will be well in the end. I enjoy the idea of being a mere particle performing some sort of function in the swirling cosmos even if I do get buffeted around from time to time. Conversely, do the proponents of long term HRT believe purely in randomness?

Tishy