Hello, this is my first message and how sad that it has to be about the menopause. I am 48, and have been having some kind of sweaty symptoms since the age of 43, which initially I put down to anxiety as it coincided with some major life traumas ( separation bla bla) and going onto antidepressants. Had a couple of blood tests over the years and was eventually put onto HRT around 5 months ago ( Elleste Conti duo). I was keen to go on because of the hideous hot flushes and night sweats and also because of my fuzzy brain. It has helped my brain function; after a week on it, it was suddenly like being on Derren Brown " ...and you're back in the room" - everything snapped into place in my poor befuddled head, and I realised just how dopey I had felt before. However, although the HRT may have taken the edge off the sweating, I am still sweating for England. My GP says that will just have to be the way it is as I cannot have a higher dose. I am fit and healthy, run regularly ( sweating profusely), but last night went to Zumba for the first time and in a room full of middle aged women, I was the only one who seemed to be sweating so that my hair was wet and the sweat was running down my back.
My sister who is 11 years older than me sailed through her menopause with about 2 hot flushes total, and is being very smug about the whole thing. This puts paid to the old wives tale that we will have the same menopause as our mother had. Will someone please put a stop to this stupid story. How many of us know what kind of menopause our mothers had?? God knows none of us like to talk about it other than on the safety of these boards - they certainly did not talk about it.
I have no idea if I have actually gone through the menopause as I am also on the mini pill which made my periods stop in any case. I suspect i am still going through some vague cycle as I get a few spots on my chin about every 4 weeks and a craving for chocolate. Anyway, I don't want to give up on the HRT because I need my brain, but does anyone know if different types of HRT can be more effective at staving off the sweating. Like many others on here, I am sick of feeling my head is boiling every time I have a cup of tea or coffee, and waking up with slimy sweaty legs and backs of knees or do I just have to accept this is how it will be, possibly for many years to come. My GP says some people's bodies are just more sensitive to temperature changes than others. How I long for those days 10 years ago when i was always cold, rarely sweated and wore bed socks every night.
Rant over!