Peri meno consultation? And supplements anyone?

[perimenomum]

I'm 44 and think I'm peri. I also have a 3 year old who causes a lot of similar symptoms (tiredness, exhaustion, no sex-drive, poor sleep, fog), so I've been unclear, but recently I've had terrible lows with no standout reason other than life's usual challenges - busy lives, young DC, elderly parents, money, career and so on.

I've felt really really f**king low ebb, lacklustre and not motivated whatsoever - a challenge in the days I wfh. Too demotivated to do my exercise which I know will help me and tempted by wine after work to take the edge off, which is a bad idea.

I'm thinking of going to the GP, but I know that GP's can vary in their knowledge and care of this area. I have also read about Dr Louise Newsons clinics which specialise in this stuff and was thinking about getting a consultation there. Her app and podcasts are incredibly well informed.

In the meantime has anyone my age experienced this and have you found any supplements which help? I eat very healthily (low GI, gut-friendly, organic etc).

I’m 44 and have been having terrible peri symptoms since I was 42. In all honesty, the only supplement I’ve found to help (not that I’ve tried many) is magnesium, which I take at night and I think helps me sleep. I also think probiotics help with my slight GI issues (non-menopause related).

I’ve spoken to many, many GPs about it one way or the other, and I’ve had excellent care from the majority of them. HRT is the only thing that’s given me relief and I might just be lucky, but I haven’t encountered a reluctance to prescribe, and I’ve also had lots of help finding the type and combination that works best for me. I also had a referral to an NHS gynaecologist at one point, who was excellent and finally sorted out the HRT regimen that works.

I did at one point pay nearly £300 for a private consultation with a specialist menopause GP who comes highly recommended including on here (not the Newsom clinic) and tbh it was a waste of money and didn’t give me anything I haven’t had on the NHS. In fact I felt she listened to me less well than the good NHS care I’ve had.

If I were to advise I’d say start with your GP and go from there, unless you have money to burn. And there’s loads of good info online, including on the Newsom clinic website so keep reading and that’ll help your conversations with your GP. Also see if there’s a GP, nurse or clinic at your surgery that has a special interest in women’s
health and if it’s possible to see them. My own very ordinary if quite large GP practice has two female GPs with special interest in women’s health and menopause.

I'm 42 and went to speak with my GP about HRT at the start of the summer. I was expecting a fight but I was very pleased to be listened to. I had to get blood done to rule out medical causes of my symptoms (no hormone test though). And both GPs I spoke with did a double take at my age and said, while it wasn't unheard of, it would be rare for my symptoms to be peri...
But I researched what HRT options there would be and had a rough idea of what I wanted before I spoke with my GP and she didn't really argue with me so I came away with a prescription.
I feel better but my sleep isn't completely better. I'm going to look at getting a magnesium supplement, I believe magnesium glyconate (or something similar) is best absorbed but need to do a bit more research.

Yes I read that magnesium glyconate was beat absorbed but to be honest I don’t notice any difference between it and the cheaper citrate form.