Questions for those who have been through menopause

[knickerbocker glory]

I think my PMT changed, I became so annoyed, angry and pissed off. The smallest thing set me off ranting. Before I'd never noticed a change as dramatic. Like clock work the next day or so I'd get my period. I'd never made the link before. Wow.

 

[RoseRazor]

Do any of you get bloating? I'm sick of it! I have only just started missing a month with my periods but ever since I keep getting really bad, uncomfortable bloating around the time my period would have been due and I gain about 3-4 pounds during it. I look pregnant!

Yes, for around a year or two but not so much in recent weeks where I’m getting hot flushes instead. They sort of peaked and then vanished about the same time that started.

 

[Tea and Toast]

Ive recently started on HRT patches, tablets weren't advisable for me . .
Ive not slept well for months and I'm absolutely shattered. Sleep is always worse if I've had a drink so I do moderate that and only drink alcohol at weekends.
They say the patches can take a while to start working . . But 2 weeks in I'm incredibly itchy? Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[ginger tea]

Those are symptoms of peri menopause

It’s progressively getting worse, every month there’s something different going on in my head, I literally don’t think I can go on like this, it’s flaring up all sorts of triggers from my past

Oh bless you, that’s sounds terrible. Well I’m on HRT prematurely (perimenopause) because I was a homicidal maniac for over a year. My periods are fine, and I’m still ovulating normally but my mental health decline is very much hormonal. I had two weeks pre-bleeding where I was honestly dangerous to be around and was feeling very hopeless and suicidal. I know you said you don’t want to go down the chemical hormone route, but it’s been an absolute godsend for me. I’m totally calm now and feel so much more like me again after only two months. I’m not naive to the risks, but right now I need to be able to function as a normal human being so that outweighs the potential future side effects. Is it worth giving it a try yourself? It’s far less drastic than a hysterectomy.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I really feel I can’t keep doing this as it’s progressively getting worse and I fear everyone I care and love will run for the hills, I’m questioning everything about my husband I don’t know if I’m imagining things or they are really there

 

[Crumpet41]

The following has been released today Menopause-practice-standards-14.6.2022.pdf (thebms.org.uk)

Thank you. Just going to take a look at this. I can’t describe how I felt when the GP said the peri menopause wasn’t considered to be an actual condition. It was awful.

 

[Sideboard Bob]

Another thing that made me think I might be going through perimenopause is that I usually feel ovulation cramps, but haven’t felt them for a few months now.
Obviously I won’t know anything for sure until I speak to my GP, but if it is that, its kind of a relief, I’ve been feeling so crap for a while now, and it’s good to know there might be an answer to it.

 

[Pixie06]

Do you still have periods?

I didn't - I'd had a coil so none, then had it removed October last year an none, then I've been taking these and did get one, have stopped currently as I'm waiting to pick up a prescription.

 

[Gymhoned]

QUOTE="Woolmercardington, post: 12740506, member: 51536"]
It's not a bad idea to start thinking about though. Not to get anxious, of course, but just to create an awareness. There's no real reason to think about it when you're younger, but at this age, then I think it's good to be prepared.
[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah def i mean im glad its being talked about...but i dont think everyone has such an awful experience..now im more fearful as everyone keeps going on about it. But at the same time its a huge change and needs to be less taboo. The same with menstratation. It play s such a big part in every day life all the hormonal ups and downs

The menopause, just like periods, are different for every woman. I know people who have gone through it with minimal effects, others were floored. I find it quite irritating that lots of celebs have jumped on a bandwagon, but at least the menopause Is being talked about now in an open way. GPs get minimal time on learning about menopause, there is a large degree of self help going on, so if people are struggling, at least they have got the conversation going in a open way. Hopefully your experience as a middle aged woman yourself, will be smooth sailing and you don’t annoy people by bringing it up. It does tend to play on your mind a bit if you are suffering.

My point is all this so called awareness has actually made me worry and more anxious than not.

 

[ouroboros]

The problem with the test they use for Peri is that once you are in Peri, no matter what your age, it's next to useless. I really wish Drs would understand this. Peri is the period when your hormones start fluctuating madly and sporadically so you need a few tests at different points in your cycle.
@ouroboros absolutely. I sold my business thinking it was causing my problems, then got a job and quit that too. 6 months later I realised it was hormonal, absolute shite. I'm just picking myself up from those catastrophic decisions 5 years on

Yes this is true. Mine were too high some months and too low others and my periods are still bang on 28 days and are no lighter or heavier. The only difference now is the progesterone tablets mean I can time them at 28 days exactly anyway (because it’s 14 on, 14 off). My GP did say I could have a coil fitted, but no way. I’m an absolute wuss when it comes to invasive vaginal procedures. I don’t really have any physical symptoms yet (thankfully) because as soon as I realised the diet/exercise was too excessive I radically overhauled and added in additional vitamins and minerals to help.

I have no STIs, no itch and have never needed lube…

I was treated for cervical erosion last year which they thought it was but I’m still bleeding. Paraphrasing the gynaecologist, I either just get used to it or go on the pill till menopause. My GP did say that at the time I wasn’t perimenopausal but in 3 months time I could be, due to the nature of hormones. They’re not going to test me every 3 months though.

Hmm pain during/after sex is classic if nothing else is wrong. You could just try a hydrating gel like vagisil for a couple of weeks to see if it helps (can’t hurt). If your hormones and periods are fine then the pill shouldn’t be necessary.

Never underestimate the power of lube to give you better orgasms…I presume you use it with sex toys at least (absolutely essential).

 

[Misssj80]

There are quite a lot of links between pregnancy and menopause simply because both involve hormone surges. The heightened sense of smell is the one I got but seems to only b for unpleasant smells, dog shit, that wet dog smell and fish. Another weird one I got for about 6 months was clumsiness, I kept walking into things that had been in the same place for ever or falling over and I also had a bout of labrythinitus which in hindsight was probably hormonal too as it was within the same timeframe as a group of menopause symptoms I had.

the clumsiness is me these last few weeks, I'm dropping things and walking into things, even people!

 

[Ishhhihtzuunot]

Hey hope your well, there’s a lovely poster who goes by @Notworthy she has advised to keep a diary of everything that your feeling and going through as it creates a pattern. Iv been doing this for a few months now and i have come to realise that some of my symptoms go back to when I was in my late 30s and have gradually gotten worse through time, if you do this you may come to realise that you have had some symptoms before now but probably put them down to other things

Thank you so much for taking the time to message I shall definitely take the advice to keep a diary on my symptoms. I’m no stranger to having medical symptoms to keep an eye on so this will be no problem.
I think because I’ve had to be aware of what my body is doing I was able to pick up on it quite quickly .

If you think about it logically, our fertility starts to drop around 35 and off a cliff at 40, so the changes are happening, it's just that we don't notice them until they reach a certain point. I have tracked back and my symptoms became noticeable at 46 and I would say that is a pretty common age, menopause on average happens at 51, thats a full year without a period (2 years is considered menopause if pre 50) so 5 years before makes sense. I'd like to see 40+ quoted more in the media for peri rather than 51 as too many women won't accept that their symptoms could be menopause until they are 50, if they are under 50 they will tell you they are too young for their insomnia/anxiety/weightgain to be menopausal symptoms. Not educating yourself on the myriad of symptoms before they hit like a train can be awful. I thought it was all hot flushes and I've yet to have one, turns out my Mum didn;t suffer from them either and I've also dodged the vaginal dryness bullet to, another one my Mum didn't get. I've got the midrift podge and my boobs are bigger but nothing too dramatic as long as I don't live on cake.


Bless you, I'm so happy it's worked for you, doesn't solve the problem but makes it a little easier to bear. I found the same with symptom tracking, when I looked back it was probably 2 -3 years of minor symptoms, remembering conversations where I had wondered why I wasn't sleeping, or why I wasn't driving my business forward. I can remember getting a new member of staff and every idea she had I shut down, I actually said to her I felt sorry for her because I used to constantly be evolving my business and moving forward and now everything was nope, nope, nope

Thank you for replying , I definitely need to look into what other symptoms can come with it too, I’m noticing a real dry mouth and Dry skin the last few days. The obvious signs of night sweats and flushes have only happened in the last 10 days

 

[Bagpuss7]

How old are you, if under 50 then menopause is 2 years after your last period

I've just turned 52. My Dr has referred me for testing at a cancer clinic which has terrified me. I've also been reading online that lots are reporting periods restarting after having vaccine.

 

[Reflected view]

I have been taking Spirulina on and off for the past 30 years. I also used to take Klamath Lake algae, which is when I discovered Spirulina. I used to get IBS back then (30 years ago) and IBS was a little-known condition anyway. Doctors would often prescribe Fybogel which never worked for me, then I discovered the algae and spirulina and it changed my life.

What’s the best way to take spirulina ? Tablet or powder ? Iv been thinking about this for a few weeks now and did you find any other benefits from taking it ?

 

[Cupcakemum]

Ive always been on a clockwork 28 day cycle, which changed to 25 days a little under a year ago.
One time only I went 32 days, but now I'm on my 45th day with no sign of anything.

Weirdly I don't feel as hormonal as I usually do when I'm having periods, which I'm not complaining about! Although I do feel quite tearful, have occasional period pains and the brain fog and lack of interest have remained.

Has anyone any idea what generally happens next when you start skipping periods?

I'm so worried that one day it will come with no warning and just explode

 

[Libbylulu]

I’ve been on HRT for almost a year. Recently the hot flushes are back, not as bad as before but still a nuisance. What am I lacking?

 

[Suzesnooze]

Hi everyone, I’ve not read through the whole thread, so sorry if I’ve missed things that have been answered already.

I’m in my late 30s and just realised I might be going through peri menopause. I had really bad night sweats last night, it’s happened a few times recently. The thing is, the other symptoms are hard to figure out, as I’m currently going through quite a bad period of depression, and have ADHD, so I feel really low and get brain fog all the time anyway.

Is it worth asking a GP about this? I’m worried about wasting their time, because my periods are still exactly the same as always. And I’m worried I might just be jumping on another reason for my mental health problems while I’m on a long waiting list to get help.

I would certainly see your GP about your night sweats as that can be a sign of other things rather than just menopause.

Depression can cause night sweats though. Are you on medication?

For peri menopause, my GP asked if there had been any changes to my periods (they were getting closer together but still regular) as well as the other symptoms I had.

 

[Frenchie]

If you have a nurse practitioner at your doctors aim to be seen by them. They normally get better menopause training and imo show more empathy.
See someone soon and let them know your symptoms.

Thank you , what happens next , bloods? X