Lisa Rinna Was 'Really Scared' to Undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause Symptoms: 'I Haven't Looked Back'

"I didn't take hormones in the beginning of menopause, and I was really suffering," shared Rinna in a new interview

<p>BRENDAN WIXTED/COSMOPOLITAN</p> Lisa Rinna

BRENDAN WIXTED/COSMOPOLITAN

Lisa Rinna

Lisa Rinna is grateful to have undergone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after "really suffering" with menopause.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 60, spoke candidly about her decision in an interview for Cosmopolitan's "Sex After 60" digital issue.

"I didn't take hormones in the beginning of menopause, and I was really suffering. Everything you can go through, I was going through it," she told the outlet. "I couldn't sleep, the hot flashes, everything, and I was anxious and angry and just a mess."

Related: Lisa Rinna Is 'So Much More Confident' and 'Freer' at 60 as She Bares Her Nipples on Cosmo Cover

<p>BRENDAN WIXTED/COSMOPOLITAN</p> Lisa Rinna wears a fitted blue dress for a photo featured on Cosmopolitan’s "Sex After 60" digital issue

BRENDAN WIXTED/COSMOPOLITAN

Lisa Rinna wears a fitted blue dress for a photo featured on Cosmopolitan’s "Sex After 60" digital issue

While Rinna shared that HRT has been "really helpful in my being able to stay feeling good about myself," she told the outlet that she initially had concerns about trying it.

"I was really scared of it because both my mother and my sister had had breast cancer and were very against it," Rinna recalled. "My mom took HRT for years and years and years, and they think her breast cancer had something to do with it. That was really terrifying because I thought, 'Well, I can't take hormones.'"

The television personality's mind changed after visiting an Eastern-Western medicine doctor when she was 52.

Related: Lisa Rinna Says Being Able to 'Live in Moderation' Has Kept Her 'Healthy' at 60: 'I Still Look Good'

"He goes, 'If you don’t go on hormones, your hair will fall out. Your skin will be dry. You won’t be able to have sex because your vagina will be so dry and you’ll be on two antidepressants by the time you’re 60 and it’ll be too late.' And I was like, 'Okay, sign me up,'" said Rinna.

Rinna said her doctor was able to find the "right mix" of plant-based hormone therapy, which has been "helpful in so many ways."

"That was eight years ago, and I haven’t looked back. And listen, if I’m going to have a better life by taking them, I’m going to do it. If you took my hormones away, I would kill you, probably," she told the outlet. The actress noted that everyone's body is different and can react differently to menopause.

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"Nobody tells you about what’s really going to happen," she said. "And for me, it’s about finding a way to just be comfortable and not put pressure on myself as to who I am in this moment at 60 years old. I don’t want to have sex every five seconds."

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