Menopause???

[thekingfisher]

Hopefully some of the knowledgeable menopause posters could advise me. I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago - kept my ovaries ( I am 43) Over the last 3 months I have been feeling increasingly 'average'. Tired, poor sleep, spotty, aching joints particularly after exercise - then not recovering well afterwards, feeling moody and emotional. Could this be the menopause ?
I know that my ovaries will now have a much shorter life span and obv my oestrogen levels could be plummeting and I would have no idea so then I risk osteoporosis .... I know I need to prob get to my GP but I also know that the blood tests are notoriously hard to read....
Am I better trying to get a private appt with a menopause specialist - am close to London?
Any advice?

You're right on all those points.

I think the stats say that ovaries start to fail within 3 years of a hysterectomy.

At 43 you'd be classed as having an early menopause. The no-brainer treatment for this is HRT up the age of average meno - so 52 ish at least with the option to carry on indefinitely if you want.

Your GP ought to do 2 blood tests , 2 months apart , on days 2-5 of each cycle. The results may still comeback as 'normal' because all that's happening is testing your FSH, LH and oestrogen on those days and during peri they can swing about day to day.

Your GP ought to take this seriously and offer your HRT even for symptom relief if you want it. Ideally you want a baseline DEXA scan to see how your bones are. Your GP may or may not offer this on the NHS.

(I paid for one privately in my late 40s and it was the best thing I ever did, as otherwise I'd probably have osteoporosis by now.)

My advice is see your GP first and if they aren't helpful then consider seeing someone privately.

Don't know OP. Bit I am in the same position. Hysterectomy two years ago, kept ovaries. For the first 6 months I knew where my my cycle I was due to symptoms, but it has been all over the place since then. I now have mild hot flushes, days where I am full if rage, sore boobs that last for weeks at a time, feeling anxious, tired and achey, poor memory and concentration, and probably more symptoms that I cannot think of now due to my poor memory and concentration.

GP doesn't seem interested so I am waiting to see if it continues /gets worse before I return. I aim in my mid thirties.

I knew that a percentage of people do go into early menopause after hysterectomy, but had no idea that ovaries do generally pack up in about three years. Do you have any good links for this so I can read up please?

And also, how do you have the blood tests if yoy don't know where in your cycle you are?

Thanks Polly - hoped you come on... I have made a GP appt for next week so will make a start there and try and put down a list of my symptoms.

Thanks also to Wonder - and a similar question - I have had no idea of my cycle since the hysterectomy so would be a complete stab in the dark... this could be an issue?

If I was given HRT - I assume then I just need oestrogen and testosterone (?) - not progesterone as I don't have my womb anymore?

Also does HRT make you react like the Pill or Mirena does - I suffered very badly with hormonal contraceptives before my hysterectomy although had tolerated them well before I had children and this would be off putting if i exchange one set of symptoms for another...

Yes, you would not need progesterone. Not sure testosterone was part of hrt?

I do not tolerate hormonal contraceptives either and have the same worries. I was told that issue was more than likely due to progesterone though, so hrt likely to be better tolerated because is oestrogen only. Also, there are many different ways of taking it, so my doctor said they were confident I would find something that suited. Only what I have been told though, I have the same worries as you.

You won't be given testosterone. Mainly because even with knackered ovaries you will still produce some but also because it's not really licensed for use on the NHS by GPs. some women have managed to get it but mostly via private drs. it's only given if your libido has gone awol or you feel knackered and HRT doesn't help.

HRT is not like the Pill- it's a far lower dose and it's natural estrogen not synthetic.

wonder I don't have any links to hand but if you put various search words into google, you'll find loads - just have a look.