To be confused about the mixed messaging around menopause

[TheColourofspring]

I am in perimenopause and I tried HRT and it made me feel worse- I got really bad migraines from the oestrogel and it triggered some breast cysts. Doctor said it could be because I don’t need it yet but I still feel shit. i do take pessaries for atrophy.

But I feel confused about the messaging around menopause- obviously it’s life stage but I feel half the argument seems to be for a more medicalised approach (Louise newson describes it as a deficiency) and then half seems to be the ‘it’s a life stage’ which is obviously true also.

I don’t know what to do next because my experiences of HRT haven’t been that positive yet but I am tired of feeling rubbish. Do I just push through? I feel too young at 49 to want to give up!!

Anyone got any insight?

I think even the medical profession are trying to work out what to do!

new research is happening all the time, new books, more training, more awareness.

at the moment there is no single answer for any of us - just keep reading up on it, look after your health best you can and hopefully GPs etc will help us all too

Ps patches suit some people better than gel

@Newgirls yes I have heard patches might be better. The gel made me feel
drugged

The right HRT makes a big difference. I had tablets, which worked. Then at one point a year or so ago, they weren't available anywhere so I had patches, and my symptoms got a million times worse, but then immediately improved once I managed to get my usual tablets again.

I think it’s trial and error to find what works for you. Doctors don’t always know either. I read articles, visit various web sites etc to hear other’s experiences. I’m now on a spray HRT which I like and migraines have receded thankfully. Other symptoms are still brutal but I keep trying different combos of vitamins, medication etc. Good luck with it op, it’s shit, I sympathise.

HRT can take a while to get right. I’m on my third version now and it‘s working for me (patches and progesterone tablets) and I’m no longer feeling the awful listlessness that really prevented me from enjoying life, have much more energy and so on. I’d suggest playing with your dosage, and the way you’re taking it. Lots of people manage really well without it though, we are all different.

It is a fascinating change in womens health. Meno ‘pause’ isn’t even the right word because people think it’s a few hot flushes and then over. It’s about healthcare from mid 40s onwards.

women get more dementia and osteoporosis which are miserable so should we be taking preventative hrt? No one knows - medical profession still debating it, doing the research.

culturally some women ‘soldier on’ or don’t like to think about ‘decline’ in fertility/sexiness and some embrace it as a relief. It’s so personal.

hrt has been demonised yet alcohol is riskier but we breeze over that.

We need more advice and research so those with cancer history know what to do.

Women need more help with this 💯

Yeah try the patches. I felt the same way as you a year later. I tried the 25mg patches and utrogestan at 50 and found it 'too much'. A year down the line, just turned 51 and after my first real hot flush, accompanied with heart palpitations and feelings of dread that lasted for, I kid you not, 10 days I tried it again and its been an absolute life saver. All symptoms have disappeared and I feel myself again.

I'm happy on the low dose patches. You maybe tried a bit early and the gel is harder to get the dose right?

I agree that women need much more support and help but men's healthcare is always prioritised over ours.
I tried oestrogel after seeing the Newson clinic and it made me feel appalling so never pursued it further. I am now really worried that NOT being on HRT will give me issues down the line and feel like I should be taking it. As a complication, I had endo. Really not sure what to do as I have been feeling below par for many years. Can you even start HRT when you are 5 years post meno?

Surely it's like periods, pregnancy etc.? Some people have a miserable time, others are fine. I dont think you can generalise

I have a mirena for progesterone plus oestrogel (one pump) and testosterone gel.

This is perfect for me but it’s the 3rd regime I’ve tried in a bid to get it right.

I’ve found extra progesterone and lower dose Oestrogel has worked for me. I’ve dropped from 4squirts of gel down to 2 and my migraines have reduced to 1 every 4-6wks plus my energy levels have gone up.
however it’s also about eating healthier, reduce or stop alcohol and caffeine, lifts weights & get exercise and it all helps. Plus extra VitB12.

HRT is not suitable for everyone! I had to manage chemo-induced menopause without it as the cancer I had contraindicated HRT. It was tough!
My one piece of advice is not to have a memory foam mattress - a killer for hot sweats!

Following for wisdom. I have the estrogen gel - 4 pumps & 1 ustrogen (100mg) tablet. Tried the patches but allergic to them. Am knackered all the time, sleep 9 hours min but still struggle to get up in a morning. Other symptoms but the tiredness is the overwhelming one. I'm living a half life. Back to the Dr's in a week's time to be fobbed off again I expect.

I know what you mean op. I'm late 50's and post menopausal. Looking at my current situation I feel no need for HRT and am very happy with my emotional state and have no symptoms that concern me. Then I read that it protects against things like heart disease and dementia and wonder if I should have it

One size doesn't fit all and you need to experiment to get the right approach. Some people find changing their diet to include more natural oestrogen rich foods help. For others it's trying different HRT preparations. I tried two different types of patch. I became allergic to the glue used so changed to oestrogel as I was high risk for tablet forms if HRT. I've been on oestrogel + utrogestan for two years now and feel it's the right solution for me (for now).

Also found my lifetime suffering of hemoplegic migraine has ceased!

HRT made my migraines so much worse.

I was switched to a very low dose patch so it did away any changes in the hormone levels which was what was triggering them.

I still had migraines, but they were the same as before. HRT definitely helped with the hot flushes which were on another level of awful, but didn’t help with any other symptoms (tiredness, brain fog, aches and pains).

Medicine has always been a one size fits all solution in the past. I thinks it’s now that we have the internet/social media we are more aware of all the different competing view points and results, that it seems so confusing.

I think the next major development will be personalised medication, where the drugs will be tailored to our own biochemistry. It can’t come soon enough for me.

I read once years ago that many drugs get neutralised by stomach acid, so the dosage a doctor subscribes is higher than the actual amount you need. There are occasionally people whose stomach acid doesn’t do this and so they end up with an overdose.

I read this a long time ago, does any one know if it is true?

It's both. It is a life stage, but that doesn't mean we just have to endure it. Historically mostly we didn't as women didn't live long enough to have it a lot of the time, but we don't have to put up with symptoms just because 'it's natural'

From what I gather the message is that if symptoms are adversely affecting you, you should seek medical help - it doesn't matter if your periods have stopped or not, you are entitled to treatment if it's causing your difficulty. Of course, in some cases it might not - there's no need to seek treatment if you don't have many symptoms, and some women don't have many issues with it.

I was on the gel and if anything it made me feel worse. I was switched to patches and this is working well for me. When I was virtually in tears in the doctors because I felt so terrible with raging insomnia, exhaustion and constant anxious thoughts she said, don’t worry, we’ll find the right combination for you. Sometimes there’s some trial and error involved.

I also ignorantly thought that once I was properly in menopause the symptoms would subside, nope! Everyone’s different. See your GP again.

Thanks for all your comments- really useful and interesting!

I'm so sorry that you are feeling rubbish OP. When I first started taking HRT, I found that the tablet form gave me migraines so I switched to an oestrogen patch supplemented with progestogen tablets for a week every month. I felt amazing during the oestrogen-only weeks but the progestogen made me feel really awful. Thinking about it now, I wish I'd just persevered for longer and tried different brands and dosage combinations. It could be that you'll need to do this too in order to find something that works really effectively. Whatever you decide, ithe symptoms will eventually end, but there's really no need to suffer anymore than you actually have to and if you can find a 'medicalised approach' that suits you, go for it. There are no prizes for good girls! I hope you find a way of alleviating your symptoms and that you start to feel better very soon. Until then, lots of virtual hugs!

I wouldn't trust that woman to look after a raw egg let alone give advise on the menopause.
Look up The Hormone Doc, Annice Chaterjee, she's a professor, not a glorified GP.

The human female goes through many changes, hormonally, in her lifetime.
Some are negligible, some not, it all depends on a multitude of factors.
I find the current trend on calling out the menopause really rather abhorrent.
What about men? They also go through changes, why the focus on women?

I will start by saying that I have no experience of HRT, but I think it can be very easy to focus excessively on hormones - when what is happening to our bones and our health in general is equally important. This is the time to shore up our defenses and do what we can to ensure a healthy middle and old age.

Eat healthily - no UPF and only tiny amounts of refined carbs and sugar. Eat mostly plants and lean protein, plus small amounts of healthy oils and complex carbs - a Mediterranean-type diet.

And exercise, especially weight and resistance based exercise, as well as high intensity interval training. For me, daily exercise has changed my whole outlook on life. In my late 60s I am fitter than I was in my 40s. Highly recommended!