Menopause - at what point did you go to the Dr's?

I've never been to the doctor about the menopause. My hot flushes weren't that bad. (Sometimes it was nice to be warm in bed!) I did get grumpy but haven't noticed that recently so I think I'm through the other side now. I do use yam hormone balancing cream, after reading a 'natural menopause' book (called Path to Power or something like that) so maybe that's helped with the moodiness.

I’m not taking HRT yet-other than very rare periods I’m not having any noticeable symptoms apart from drier hair and skin. But I have spoken to GP about it. I’m having some treatment for something else and she says that we should review HRT when that’s resolved but there’s no rush.

I would certainly take it if I had symptoms but I can’t isolate any. I have a 6 year old and have just got divorced so it’s hard to identify if any of my stress and anxiety is hormonal though.

I think we must have the same gp!

I never went. Just coped with the hot flushes and that’s was about it

if you can cope then don’t bother

At the point when I was 3 years post-hysterectomy (even though i'd kept my ovaries), had been having hot flushes, was so anxious and depressed that I was starting to become suicidal, couldn't function in day to day life, and basically thought life wasn't worth living.

Fobbed off with Prozac.

Six months later, same thing.

Fobbed off with Sertaline and told to download the Headspace app.

Six months later, same thing.

GP took bloods, said my estrogen was "fine" and prescribed folic acid.

Two months after that and after the penny dropping when I read threads on here and watched women like Kirsty Wark and Mariella Frostrup talking about their experienced I finally saw GP number 4 who gave me HRT.

Yes. My GPs are utterly shite. I am not an exceptional case.

I went into psychosis at 44 from anxiety so maybe hormones impacted it - I dont know

Also just to say, not sure if Im reading your post wrong but peri means the stage before menopause so you of course will have regular periods, as do I.

Menopause is when you have been 12 months with no periods.

Peri menopause as a stage can last around 10 years prior to menopause. And obviously none of us know what age that will come. Im in my mid 50s, still in peri

I really noticed symptoms around 49 but possibly before that too in all honesty. They just get more and more.

I dont have any physical symptoms, I have all emotional/MH symptoms. Only just started HRT so fingers crossed. I should have started it a couple of years ago really but dithered.

I didn’t say anything about a “5 year rule”!
The problem is that I honestly don’t know if I’m in perimenopause at all as I’m still having regular periods, just heavier and I’ve got brain fog. I take Pregablin for GAD and that causes brain fog too.
I have to take medication already so I don’t want to add to the amount I take if I might not be at the specific stage yet.
My Nan had my Mum aged 48 and my Mum was in her mid-fifties when she noticed changes and went on HRT so given the possible genetic factor of a later menopause it doesn’t seem to me that I’m ready yet.
If I definitely am then of course I would start HRT!

These were exactly my symptoms. In hindsight I’d been experiencing increasingly low mood for a couple of years but it was when the anxiety and insomnia started that the penny finally dropped. I started on HRT aged 46 and wish I’d started sooner.

Subsequently I learned that anhedonia, literally ‘loss of joy’ is one of the first symptoms of perimenopause, but it doesn’t get as much recognition as the physical symptoms (hot flushes etc)

Go to your GP @JanBlues2026 I was lucky, the (young, male) GP I saw listened to me and took my concerns seriously. I hope yours is also supportive.

For me it was when dh and the one remaining dc at home started to comment on the negative impact it was having. My main symptoms at the time were mood swings, crying, raging etc. I was having other symptoms too, but they were not too bad. I was 45 at the time and expected to have to beg but gp was amazing. I was sent for blood tests to rule out thyroid function problems just in case. I would say that it took a month or so to feel better but honestly I felt like I was getting myself back again. About a year later I needed to up the dose and it's not magic, I still get symptoms from time to time because hormone levels go wildly up and down during perimenopause but there is no way I would be without it now.

I tried Menopause Max, sage and other natural treatments before going on HRT. I had horrendous perimenopause symptoms, literally awful anxiety and crying loads. I also had brain fog, insomnia and other symptoms. HRT has been a game changer for me. I can cope with life now.

My mum’s friend was prescribed HRT when it first came out and was on it until she was 70. She persuaded me that it was safe.

I’ve got a younger friend (in her forties) who’s having a terrible time with perimenopause but is worried about taking HRT as there’s a family history of breast cancer.

Probably about your age OP and had various tests for I think FSH levels. I wasn’t offered anything apart from HRT when my periods stopped for good.

Why are you scared of taking it too early? What risk do you think that will bring? There is evidence that the protective effects of HRT dissipate if you start it too late but no evidence at all that starting 'too early' (which isn't a thing if you're experiencing perimenopause symptoms, it's clearly not too early!) causes any risk. If you're going by that '5 year' rule it's very outdated now.

I went at 46 after a couple year of tiredness/fatigye, anxiety, aching joints, insomnia , stiffness. No issues with prescribing HRT as I’m over 45. A big concern for me was osteoporosis or osteoarthritis so i wanted to offset that and if my issues eased it was a bonus. I do feel significantly more energetic on it and I sleep better.

Your GP is misinformed

HRT is not like hormonal contraception and doesn't impact women the same way.

Sorry I ought to add ive had 6 months of night sweats and erratic periods (36 day/21 day cycles).

After this thread, I contacted my GP a week ago. She prescribed oestrogen pessaries which Ive started and OMG! The dryness has gone, the anxiety has eased and as an added bonus my boob's are a bit fuller 🤣🤣🤣

Im getting bloods to see if I need stronger dose but honestly I feel 1000x better already on the pessary.

Fwiw Im 44 but had a baby at 41 (this can trigger peri).

My periods stopped at 47 and I haven’t been to the drs or taken HRT as I don’t feel the need. I do get hot flushes occasionally but not to the point where they are affecting my life (other than having to take a jumper off) - and I think a general ‘fucking hell life can be really shit’ is just part of getting older isn’t it?! When you start to wise up to life / people in general.
i am very fit, train daily and run marathons so not worried about my heart / bones / sarcopenia etc as I am fitter than most people I know.
you don’t HAVE to take it, though I do feel there is a strong ‘you must take HRT or you will wither away like a husk and never get sex again’ attitude on here and in the media generally which irritates me greatly

I can really recommend Dr Catherine Coward she used to work at Newson Health but now works from Myvia Health, appointments are online, but pricing is really transparent and she encourages you to go back to your GP after the initial appointment and continue your treatment through the NHS.

https://myviahealth.co.uk/menopause

I think even if you think you don't need HRT it can really help with other things such as your bone health, and heart health, so there are lots of long term health benefits that you might not feel the results of straight away but your 80 year old self would be thankful for. Lots of myths and dangerous information around HRT, but it's really very safe and life changing for lots of women.

I went to the GP and asked for HRT due to massively disrupted sleep patterns and anxiety plus a clear indication of falling muscular strength as I had developed an ongoing knee injury. I was 50 but because I still had regular periods and had no hot flushes I was fobbed off with anti-depressants (which I didn't take as I wasn't depressed).

My physio went ballistic and tried to get me to go back with the NICE guidelines printed off. I eventually went back a long time later and asked again. By this point I'd had flooding and periods had become more irregular though still no hot flushes though I had been a bit overheated at night at times. However, I still had to wait for another appointment to let me 'think about' HRT in between.

Nothing to think about for me. I was already well informed and the protective effects for bone strength and cardiovascular health plus potential future brain health and the immediate difficulties I was having in terms of overwhelm and insomnia (I'd had to sign myself off work at that point) meant it was a no-brainer.

I swear I felt the difference in days of putting that first patch on. I'm just angry that I had to jump through so many hoops and had to put up with it over such a long time unnecessarily when this could have been avoided if I'd been listened to in the first place.

I went when my face was covered in rosacea. When the doc asked me if I had any other concerns, it all came tumbling out. But it took the mess of my face to get me there as the rest I could mask. I will forever be grateful for her intuition and care.

The biggest relief from HRT, it’s not touched the libido, the rage, the memory loss, the flushes, insomnia but it has helped my joint pain tremendously and as heart disease and osteoporosis run in my family I’m so glad I’m on it.

This is my thought.

It's not just about hot flushes and brain fog but heart health, osteoporosis and the impact of a reduction in oestrogen etc.

Menopause can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, raise blood pressure and lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes as a result.

Obviously, it's like anything and not everyone will be negatively affected but I'd want to get it checked out at least.