what symptom of the menopause have you found the worst?

[ohreallyIsee]

For me the itchy skin, so intense it almost felt like my skin was crawling/burning, it was reducing me to tears, thankfully I've found magnesium has helped

Anxiety.
Thinning hair.
Overnight (almost) wrinkles.
Exhaustion but the inability to get any decent sleep.

crushing anxiety and insomnia, neither of which I had before peri.

The depression

At the start it was the brain fog - feeling less fluent in conversation and thus thinking I'd have to give up work (HRT and vit B saved me, mostly). That was shocking.

But 5 years on from that (TMI claxon) it's the way my vagina and everything that surrounds it seems to have shrivelled away to nothing, so the lightest touch burns and I have constant irritation of the urethra...and that's with regular oestrogen pessaries. I'm too young to give up sex but I physically cannot take penetration. I miss it!

Itchy inner ears though I’m sure DH would say my short temper.

Petimenopause, heavy periods, anxiety, anger

Menopause, insomnia, loss of muscle tone despite usual level of activity, brain fog, tiredness, cold sweats. Anxiety did ease.

Loss of libido. HRT helps with the night sweats and rage. But my libido has never fully returned and that makes me sad - I didn't realise how much I enjoyed feeling horny until it had gone.

Feeling really anxious that I have somehow upset someone unwittingly - I wake up in the night sometimes worrying about something I've said which in the light of day doesn't seem bad at all.

So far it's the period every 19 days, that last about 8- 10 days. It's literally 9 days a month not bleeding.

I agree with itching. All other symptoms seem to be abated with the HRT but this remains. I feel like I'm being bitten by fleas. I thought I had headlice for the first year and treated myself a dozen times - it turned out it wasn't that at all.

I have an antihistamine if it get really bad and it helps a lot.

Flooding through a Tampax and a towel during the night.

I thought it could be scabies when the itching started but it wasn't in the right places and would flare up then eventually stop At times I was scratching myself till I bled.

Vaginally dryness, it was like sand paper being rubbed together along with intense itching, I used loads of different creams until I found one that soothed me

Really dry mouth. I drink a pint of water during the night every night. Tape my mouth sometimes which helps, but still.

I had the itchy skin at first too.

So many pointless bloody symptoms!

Actually I think the worst is insomnia. So frustrating.

Brain fog and work anxiety

The absolutely all-pervading anxiety, and feeling that my body was jangling like a constant alarm going off on the inside.
Not keen on the vaginal atrophy and loss of sensation, either.
Getting my HRT regimen right has helped a lot with the former, but nothing much doing on the vag front so far, sadly.

Brain fog, forgetfulness. I'm sure DH thinks I'm developing dementia when I make the same comment repeatedly.

Itchy armpits !! That and brain fog + anxiety

I've gone through waves of different symptoms. Constant Migraines and lack of sleep crippled me in the early days but HRT sorted those.

At the moment the muscle cramps are the worst. I never envisioned muscle cramps could be this bad but the pain in my legs keeps me awake at night.

The rage (early peri, so I didn't know what was happening). Thinning and dry hair.

But I'm on the other side now, with HRT, and I feel fantastic. Like I've found me again. Serenity.

Memory loss, especially at work, I can read a date on a form and by the time I've looked at my computer screen to add it to a spreadsheet , I've forgotten it. I used to be really sharp and now I just feel so foggy.

Dry, itchy vulva. No libido, which I actually don’t mind. I would hate to be horny anymore.

How do any of you know that your “symptoms” are due to menopause? Genuine question

Brain fog is the worse but aching joints come a very close second in the list of my unpleasant symptoms