Any experience of early menopause and hormone results?

[Guadalupe]

I had a hysterectomy two years aged 30. I kept my ovaries but was told I might still have an early menopause.

I have had some mild symptoms and my blood test results are a bit confusing. The first doctor said results were normal but I phoned back to check as I had missed a call from my gp ringing to discuss results.

She said the fsh (I think) was high and that it looked like the ovaries were post-menopausal but my results were equivocal as the other hormone (oestrogen?) was normal and to review in 6 months.

She was quite vague, and I don't know what this means really. Am I half post menopausal and half not? And I wonder why the first doctor said they were normal?

I was really hoping to get further through my 30's before menopause, I feel a bit depressed about it. Anyone experience this?

Oh and the hormone level was 15.9 whatever that means. Is that high?

15.9 is higher than you'd expect in someone your age, for FSH, but not 'post-menopausal' by any means. Thing is, there's a long slow slope - for most people - between pre and post menopause. Its not usually a sudden thing.

My FSH rose slowly from my late thirties, but I've only been officially 'post-menopausal' for just over a year. I'm 50 now. Its called peri-menopause and can last for years!

I think your GP is right to re-test anyway, in a few months, because hormones can fluctuate and what she'll be looking for is a trend or pattern of high FSH and low oestrogen. HTH

FSH results can fluctuate quite a lot. I had one done with my last company medical (am in 40s) and no sooner had I signed as willing to pay the extra cost myself than the doctor started saying that really they should be done on first day period, number often goes up and down etc etc. So I'm not surprised that they are also taking into account the other result and planning to review.

Really? That's a relief then. I expected to be peri-menopausal but was pretty shocked when she said the ovaries were post menopausal tbh. I thought 15 must be high or something.

So if they can fluctuate at times of the month, maybe I am even around ovulation? Of course I never know not having a period any more. Probably wishful thinking. Sigh.

I'll try not to worry until I have another blood test then. I thought about buying one of those kits but someone said they are often confusing as you can't get an accurate idea from the result.

Thanks for replies.

I'm not actually sure how it works during the month but I reckon that you might be right - apparently they start to go up as the menopause approaches because the hormones desperately work overtime to try and get ovulation. That would suggest that there is some kind of 'normal' rise around ovulation anyway. I should have probably questioned the doctor further but just breathed a cynical sigh at being given all the caveats after I had agreed to pay Bupa. For what it's worth, mine was actually just after my period so just after ideal time and was 8 point something - so if it's a few points higher mid month then 15 doesn't sound that high to me.

NB of course I am an old bag anyway! But I still have very regular cycles. Anyway good luck with your next review and please don't worry about it.

Thanks

It took about 6 months to diagnose and treat my perimenopause. My symptoms would come and go, and be worse every time they came back. At the same time my blood test results and ultrasound findings would vary between FSH 35 (which was far too high for my age, 42), and bog normal including ovulating ovaries.

Within weeks of starting me on HRT my symptoms eased wonderfully. It seems that once menopause has begun two things matter - firstly, whether you can cope with the symptoms, and secondly whether you need to begin protection from osteoporosis.

Thanks, prettycandles. I'm glad things improved for you with the hrt. My mum said her life was transformed when she went on it, her symptoms had become unbearable.

I'm hoping to avoid it, for now at least, and my symptoms are still quite mild. I do worry about my bones beginning menopause this early though.

Why do you want to avoid it?

Well, I think I would rather avoid taking an artificial hormone unless absolutely necessary, and, as curent medical advice seems to be that women suffering from premature menopause should take hrt until at least fifty, then the longer I can go without starting it the better iyswim.

I am 32. That would be nearly 20 years of taking oestrogen!

Yes, I understand and agree about the 'artifical' point. But surely, since your body needs the oestrogen, is designed to continue having oestrogen for at least antoher 10-15y, then by not taking it you are effectively 'starving' your body of something it needs? Besides, because you are begining the menopause early in your life, you have more years in which to lose bone, and could develop osteoporosis earlier and to a worse degree than you would were you to begin menopause in 10-15y time.

I'm sorry, I understand that you want cheering up, but it's an important issue. The issue of osteoporosis was a big factor for me in deciding to take HRT. My parents and my grandparents all suffer/ed from it.

Sorry, prettycandles, it keeps taking me ages to post back!

Yes, I have seen the doctor again since I last posted and she explained it all a bit better. She said it was possible for me to get those results if I was ovulating but that it could also be raised as I am heading towards menopause. Fsh was 15.9 and LH was 40, a bit high, but oestrogen is 1000 which is good apparently.

She said the risks with hrt are often when people are taking it past when they should be having oestrogen but there was little risk with someone young having it as they are meant to have it, like you say.

I asked about herbalism like black cohosh and she said that was fine to but to remember that it was still hrt just in plant form ie phytoeostrogens and it does the same thing but is unregulated.

She said to assume I am fine for now and have tests again in six months. I am going to try to forget about it till then!

When I first saw my GP I had this horrid suspicion buried deep in the back of my head that I might be starting menopause, but the GP thought it was thyroid and I prefered to go along with her. I was very upset to be starting menopause - I was 41 at the time, and my youngest was only 1yo.

My parents kept pestering me to go private to get all the tests etc done sooner. But I was quite happy to go at the slow pace of the NHS, because it gave me the time to come to terms with the truth.

Hot flashes is what I am experiencing in my menopause. I am on generic premarin for hot flashes. You can find more info on the medications that you use at www.internationaldrugmart.com/premarin.html