I have been on hrt - synthetic early on, and bio-identical for the past 5 years. I was taken off of synthetics when the results of the nurses study hit. I went cold turkey for awhile, but finally pleaded with my dr. to put me back on. After reading about bio's from Suzanne Somers, I talked with my dr. about trying them. She was willing to work with me - and I've been on them ever since. Initially, I did the saliva testing every 6 months to try to keep everything at optimum levels. I did take a 6 month break last year - but was shocked at how quickly things changed. Hot flashes returned, my skin aged overnight - and basically everything that could dry up dried up. I am back on a low level of hrt, just enough to help take the edge off of this thing called aging. I will stay on them forever. I will be 61 on Tues. I've kept myself fit, stopped coloring my hair years ago and get enough compliments on the gray that I feel I did the right thing. Aging is really a state of mind - and I believe if there's something that can help you along the path - why not.