Do you go to docs to confirm menopause?

[LindaLooky]

I think menopausal things are happening to me. For months I've had...

Hot flushes most evenings
Super heavy long periods
Insomnia
Anxiety

I'm wondering whether I should go to the doctor?? Is it necessary to rule out other things as the cause (eg night sweats are a sign of cancer arent they?). Or should I just muddle on until things get worse?

I'm mostly managing at present. I have off weeks but always did.

I would ask my mum but her menopause story is "one month I had periods the next I didnt"

I didn't.

Go to the GP, they will rule out other causes and talk to you about HRT if it's meno.

Don't wait for it to get worse, it's incremental and you won't notice how bad it is til you crack. Go now.

@LindaLooky

I would ask my mum but her menopause story is "one month I had periods the next I didnt"

My mum can't even remember anything about hers!

I don't know but I'm paranoid about early menopause for no other reason than I have a mirena so have no real way of knowing! I discovered a home menopause in the chemist the other day so perhaps get one of those and then take it to the dr with results? But I'm pretty sure my friend went to the dr with symptoms and got a blood test to confirm she was peri. This was pre-pandemic though so god knows what they might be advising now. Always worth at least a phone call I'd say

I didn’t. I kept a diary of my periods (I planned holidays and days out around them) and I realised after a few months that my periods had stopped. I had hot flushes. I started to wear cotton and bought a desk fan. It’s not an illness and I wouldn’t bother a GP.

@MollyBloomYes

I don't know but I'm paranoid about early menopause for no other reason than I have a mirena so have no real way of knowing! I discovered a home menopause in the chemist the other day so perhaps get one of those and then take it to the dr with results? But I'm pretty sure my friend went to the dr with symptoms and got a blood test to confirm she was peri. This was pre-pandemic though so god knows what they might be advising now. Always worth at least a phone call I'd say

The OP didn't mention how old she was, so not sure it would be early meno.

Agree re coil. I have other symptoms, but periods akways been iffy so they're no barometer.

Blood tests and poas tests (save your money) are not recommended by NICE, just a symptom check and ruling out other causes if you're in the right age bracket.

My doctor confirmed in an appointment just by discussing symptoms. I'm on my first 3m round of HRT and nearly sleeping normally now. Skin has cleared up too!

I'm 45.

Ah to sleep @VanGoghsDog! I would like to sort the insomnia out, that's for sure.

The only reason I went to my GP was because my periods had gone very heavy and erratic which was affecting my quality of life, and I wanted to know if anything could be done. The GP recommended a Mirena coil which stopped my periods completely.

If you feel you might benefit from HRT that's another good reason to see your GP.

Blood tests for perimenopause are unreliable because they only tell you what's happening on the day the test was done. Two blood tests a month apart would be more informative, or you can buy a test which checks your FSH levels. I got one online and it was enough to convince me I was menopausal as the levels were high on two tests taken a month apart.

Menopace. I had no menopause symptoms at all after I took those. Usually 3 for 2 in supermarkets.

www.vitabiotics.com/pages/menopause-supplements-menopace?gclid=Cj0KCQiAkZKNBhDiARIsAPsk0Wgbn8kiCiFwc0N2fRHYZAmm38XZp2AqokDssiQqCtuC6R2FRIKTkj8aAiM7EALw_wcB

No I did not go to the doctor. It was blatantly obvious what was happening to my body, and as I don't want fake hormones made of the urine of pregnant horses (poor things), as ''therapy'' and couldn't anyway as I have a benign breast tumour, doctors have nothing to offer.

I have spent a fortune on ''supplements''. The only thing that was recommended to me that worked - was Sage tablets for hot flushes and night sweats.

I would ask my mum but her menopause story is "one month I had periods the next I didnt"

My story is a bit like that too, so no I didn't go to the GP

I think if you go from having a normal cycle to completely erratic, night or day sweats, little bit more 'emotional' than normal ... And you're at an age when it's likely, It would be safe to say youre perimenopausal - however, a blood test could show whether your levels are pretty pointing in that direction :-)

I didn't. I assumed they wouldn't be interested since I didn't want hrt.

@LindaLooky if you want HRT, you don’t need to confirm this. Your symptoms alone are enough to suggest it’s a great idea. It’s best to get the jump on oestrogen replacement prior to menopause if possible (during perimenopause) anyway, if you want the best protective benefits for cardiovascular, bone and brain health.

I did but was lucky in that my doctor was quite pragmatic so didn't throw "options " at me. She mentioned them, as if in passing, but suggested as I was coping, for me to give nature it's time. She'd be happy to look further at the options with me in future.

That was good advice because 12 months later things got better. Brain fog cleared, flooding periods were every 6 months (so horrible but copable).

My fear looking back would be getting a more gun ho GP that would have advised one of the things much earlier and it turned out to be unnecessary. However, for you, you'd like some peace of mind over other problems. They may be able to do that for you.

Waste of a GP appointment unless you want treatment.

Dealing with it now. I have no plans to go to the doctor unless I encounter unusual issues. It’s a perfectly normal process.

I went to the doctor as my periods lasted for months and months at a time. They sent me to have an internal scan just to check.

She then put me on a different pill and said I was probably at the beginning of being peri and my pills were not enough to stop the bleeding. If it was t for that I probably wouldn’t have bothered just yet.

I’ve been struggling for months. Bad mood, brain fog, not sleeping etc. Went to dr and blood test showed I wasn’t in peri. Got signed off sick for three weeks and offered AD (didn’t take them). Went back to dr as I’ve been struggling with breathing and borrowed an inhaler a few times. Turns out I have asthma. Got given an inhaler and it’s been crazy how much it’s helped. Feel myself again. Full energy, mood has improved, sleeping better etc. It’s always worth going to dr to see if something that seems completely unconnected is causing symptoms.

Depends how bad your symptoms are. All I have noticed is I miss a period about every other month. I'm moody at times, but that's nothing new! If I had insomnia like you I would definitely want to get on top of that, so yes speak to your GP.

I didn't want HRT so didn't go ro the GP as it didn't seem a good use of their time.

I started having heavy periods too a few months ago and was prescribed tranexamic acid. I had an ultrasound last month to rule out anything sinister and was diagnosed with adenomyosis. I am having a Mirena coil fitted next week to hopefully stop or lessen the bleeding. Also diagnosed with anaemia so taking ferrous fumarate.

@Pascal80

No I did not go to the doctor. It was blatantly obvious what was happening to my body, and as I don't want fake hormones made of the urine of pregnant horses (poor things), as ''therapy'' and couldn't anyway as I have a benign breast tumour, doctors have nothing to offer.

I have spent a fortune on ''supplements''. The only thing that was recommended to me that worked - was Sage tablets for hot flushes and night sweats.

HRT is made from yams these days.