I had a full hysterectomy 11 years ago (@ 38 y/o)...have been on hormones ever since. My surgeon put me on an estrogen pill and I just didn't feel good for over a year until I did some extensive research on hormones and options and discovered that YES I do need them and YES there is a safer option than big pharma. It took some time to find the best BHRT method and dosage for me, but since then, I honest to god can NOT fathom a life without them. I have several friends who also take them and could not go without either.
One thing I use is a weekly E patch. On day 6 I can feel it wearing off. I get hot, don't sleep as well, am anxious, get a bit fidgety, etc. When I slap that new patch on, my world becomes calm again.
I really believe, as women, we need added hormones for life, as our body depletes them naturally or if surgically induced, to help not only with mental health but also physical health (inflammation, heart health, arthritis, brain health, sexual side effects, etc etc). If at a young age our bodies are forced into thinking they are instantly "aged", the disease will most definitely set in...and why not curb that with something safer that mimics our body chemistry structure rather than a "foreign" chemical (again, big-pharma) that our body does not recognize...that's also when problems set in.
I'm just a huge fan and will do whatever I can to support and fight for our right to choose what goes in my body.