When is exhaustion not just...exhaustion?

[SmileEachDay]

I’m a teacher
I have small DC
I’m a single parent (50/50)
I had a traumatic bereavement a year ago
I’m - I think - peri menopausal
My sleep is shit

And I am so tired. Given a choice, I’d spend every single minute I’m not working or mummying in bed. I don’t, but it’s so hard to make myself do anything.

Is that just because of my life or is it a doctor thing?

@SmileEachDay blood tests are not necessary as hormone levels vary enormously throughout the day/month so a snapshot view from a blood test is fairly pointless.

GP will know if you are peri menopausal by your symptoms eg interval between periods.

I started HRT at menopause but would start at peri if I could go back in time. I was nervous about HRT at that point and unaware that the tides had turned in favour of HRT again.

Menopause is when all sorts of things go wrong so HRT may be only part of the solution for you. Thyroid issues are a common thing and are very under diagnosed in the UK. Test results which UK GPs dismiss as normal result in active treatment in many other countries. Thyroid UK is a good source of patient information.

Also always ask your GP for full print outs of your blood test results and keep them so you can compare what is normal for you.

Snog, that varies between doctors, some like to still go ahead with hormone tests.

I've had to change GP and fight for HRT.

"Birds why do you think GPS are reluctant?"

Because they aren't upto date on the advice about HRT.

They don't understand the different types of HRT, or even the Menopause, fully.

I went to a health seminar and their was an expert in HRT/Female reproductive health.

She's campaigning for compulsory training for GPs as advice changes.

If anyone is under 45 and has gone through the Menopause, they now need HRT to protect their Heart.

It isn't just smoking that is causing the high rate of female heart disease, the Menopause is contributing to the numbers.

The side effects aren't as they used to be and there's a HRT to suit everyone, now.