Fsh tests say not menopause bit have symptoms!

[babayjane67]

Hi
I've been to gp 3wks ago due to awful.mood swings& what I think we're a couple of hot flushes.I've also woken up twice with sweaty chest.
The gp has done 2 fsh tests& both have come bk nowhere near as she put it!so she says it's depression& put me on an anti d which didn't agree with me at all!had bad side affects.
I've been googling about it& it seems I can still be either peri or in full blown meno with the fsh being normal& also that u can have depression through having meno.
I'm gonna go bk to gp& tell her this but I wanted to know if anyone has any experience themselves with this?being diagnosed with depression rather than meno even though u have symptoms of meno.
I'm 49 nearly 50& had tvh just over a yr ago.kept ovaries.I've also had one lot of brown/pink discharge which I had to have an ultrasound on my ovaries for to chk they're OK which sonographer.said looks like they are.
Tia

Your dris sadly out of touch.

Suggest you read the NICE guidleines on menopause (easily found if you google.)

They say:
-do not test women over 45 for meno as blood tests are unreliable.
-treat symptoms (without tests)
-do not offer ADs as a first line treatment unless a woman cannot use HRT for clear medical reasons.

Go back and ask for HRT. If they refuse, ask why.

Oh and maybe print off the guidelines for her to read and suggest they go on a course if you're feeling brave!!!

You can find a link to the NICE report on www.menopausematters.co.uk
Think it's at the bottom of the HOME page.

THanks Polly that's very helpful!
Will take a look on there.
It makes it harder as she's a sort of friend!
I was in shock when she said i was depressed! W as expecting her to say yes it's meno let's talk hrt!

Well I told her the NICE guidelines& what I'd researched so she agreed it could be meno&was willing to put me on hrt!
Then she remembered i have Factor 5 Leiden only through one parent though which is a clotting disorder& after researching it says I can't have hrt!I have never had a blood clot,didn't have to inject myself after hyst or anything.have been on 2or 3 different bc tabs In the past&never had any problem!
She says there are herbal remedies I can take&is giving me a leaflet about it.
Has anyone else got the same or similar disorder&been able to have estrogen only hrt still?from what I've read the patches have much lower to no risks.
Tia

I also am worried about osteoporosis as my mum has it& my sister has just been diagnosed with it in the last yr.I have to have my first bone density scan in June when I turn 50.

You need to direct her to yet another part of the NICE report (or other research) which says that transdermal HRT (patches or gel) do not cause blood clots or raise risk any more than the person's baseline risk.

Honestly, she does seem out of touch! This is basic care for women in meno.

I didn't see that part on NICE will look again.
Is the herbal stuff any good?

From NICE ( home page of Menopause Matters- link to NICE guidelines.

1.5 Long-term benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy

Venous thromboembolism

1.5.1 Explain to women that:

the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increased by oral HRT compared with baseline population risk

the risk of VTE associated with HRT is greater for oral than transdermal preparations

the risk associated with transdermal HRT given at standard therapeutic doses is no greater than baseline population risk.

1.5.2 Consider transdermal rather than oral HRT for menopausal women who are at increased risk of VTE, including those with a BMI over 30 kg/m2.

1.5.3 Consider referring menopausal women at high risk of VTE (for example, those with a strong family history of VTE or a hereditary thrombophilia) to a haematologist for assessment before considering HRT.

Thanks Polly