@vivainsomnia
it never fails to shock me how clueless so many are about perimenopause and menopause
I think what makes it difficult is that everyone's menopause is different. It certainly is the case amongst my friends going through it. Different symptoms, different impacts, different abilities to cope and different reactions to treatment.
I have probably be fortunate in that I had good engagement from professionals, all more than happy to prescribe treatment. My problem is that I do not respond to standard treatment and I have hit a wall. I have been to different GPs, one specialising in the menopause, a private gynae, but ultimately, they have all come up with the same option, hrt, in different forms, but instead of trying to tailor and treatment to my situation, I have had 'just try this, and then this, and this', when ultimately, it is all the same and doesn't work for me. I then get 'sorry, can't do anything'.
The frustration and disappointment that come after each time I try something after being told that this will sort it out and it doesn't leaves me at a lower place each time. It takes a lot of resilience and mindfulness to get up again and move on.
Yes, I agree with this absolutely.
Like you, I did not respond to standard treatment at all because my issues weren't usual. I had a premature menopause as a result of premature ovarian failure - my FSH levels were sky high and I wasn't producing any progesterone. However, the GPs were clueless to this and insistent that because I was still menstruating regularly and producing oestrogen, I wasn't in perimenopause depsite all my many symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, inability to sleep (to name just a few) which are all standard tells of the perimenopause.
When I found a GP who eventually listened to me and prescribed according to my symptoms, he gave me oestrogen which exacerbated everything. When he realised it wasn't helping me, he didn't know what to do and refused to send me to the menopause clinic. In the end, almost three years after I had first started having these issues, I threw money at the problem and went to see a private specialist.
I was lucky that not only did I recognise what the problems were, I was able to throw money at my problems. I had to suffer (needlessly) with like impacting side effects of perimenopause for 3 years because the GPs I saw refused to believe I was perimenopausal because of my age and the fact I was still menstruating regularly.
When I first began experiencing problems, I did a lot of reading and knew exactly what the issues was. I was more clued up than my GP. I despair for women as so many are fobbed off, and in many instances, haven't a clue that the various symptoms they are experiencing are all due to perimenopause. But, it needs to be said that women should be more aware of menopause and the many different symptoms that might happen as a result. While we all have a unique experience, many do share the same issues and I do find it astonishing many are unable to join the dots.