To ask you what to do about my hormones? (41 and in meno)

[SSYMONDS]

I have been feeling rough and stacking on weight for a couple of years. Today I got my blood results from a trendy designerHRT consultant in Harley st, and frankly I am in shock.

I thought she might say my horemones were a bit all over the place but she said essentially I am in menopause, quite far in and she wouldn't expect me to have another period naturally, there are no more eggs. She said I must be exhausted and was surprised I hadn't aged more

Oestrogen, I should have over 1000, I have 0.44 - or 'essentially none, not enough to measure''

Progesterone I should have 75 - 'none again'

Free testosterone should be7, it is 0.6 - 'so again none'.

Another marker is FSH (this is your brain trying to stimulate hormones when it notices your body is lacking.) You would expect 4 or less at my age. I am 136.6 which is 'extremely high. older post menopausal women might normally be between 50 and 90'

The only hormone I have in an acceptable range is DHEA at 5.8 (between 0.3-11 is acceptable.)

She has prescribed a bespoke hormone cream (P, O and T) that she is having made for me in a pharmacy to my prescription. I will get it early next week.

She said to expect:
The first month could be a bit rough. Might actually feel worse. Random bleeding, very tired, poor sleep, puffiness, sore breasts, spots etc. It's unlikely to make me moody though (less than 5%). Then after the first month I should start to feel better week by week. I should gradually improve and be back to where I should be in 6 months max.

I was a bit upset and she said that I should know that it isn't fair but she can put all the hormones I should have back in my body. She said I will have more energy, regain my muscle mass, sleep better, concentrate better, have elevated mood and libido and my skin and hair and weight will improve.

She also said that I had done the right thing by figuring this out and that without intervention I would age 10 years in the next 2, and be at much higher risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, altzheimers and cancer. She said whatever happens I must take some hormones as not taking them would impact on my life expectancy.

I am totally freaked out, I feel so suddenly old, and like no wonder I've been struggling lately. I'm a bit out of my depth as I know nothing about hormones so ANY interpretation or advice is welcome. Thanks

No one? Bit desperate here...

Sounds like you've done exactly the right thing and the hormone replacement should really help. I started peri at 37 and now at 47 am pretty much through it. Enjoying not having pmt and looking forward to HRT for as long as poss.

There's plus sides, honest!

Oh OP, I am sorry. No advice but couldn't let you go unanswered. Very unfair. Grab all the replacement hormones you can, not just for life expectancy, but quality too.

Thank you both. The numbers have made me boggle. She kept saying 'you basically have no hormones'

No wonder it's been such a challenge lately, my body has really changed shape, my eyesight has declined massively, and I just feel so damn old!

Will I start to feel younger again, or will I just sort of stay where I am?

Well done for realising that's what's going on. Mine started at age 41 but took me until 46 to realise!

The HRT is amazing and really calms down a lot of the symptoms (no return of libido here tho!). I haven't had any problems with HRT, I'm on an oral one. Mentally I found it does take a lot of acceptance, my doc was so matter of fact and it has taken me a while to fully accept it.

Pamper yourself a bit and do some stuff you enjoy xx

Oh and para... is that it then? Once you're on hrt no pmt moodiness etc?

I'm so sorry! I don't have any advice on the levels you've written about but the hrt is amazing!

I found out I'd gone through meno last year, I was 33 but had my last period at 32. I'm on hrt called prempak c which is p & o. I could have had the contraceptive pill, that just seemed mean but apparently it helps younger women feel more "normal" about it.
I have to have bone density scans every 2 years to check for osteoporosis, and my blood pressure checked once a year because of the hrt.

It worked within the month, well it stopped the hot flushes which were horrendous, and I now have a period every 4 weeks, which is more regular than I have ever had in my life. I was told I could have the hrt until 50 and I might go through all the symptoms again then though

I hope you get some relief quickly, and feel much better soon.

Thanks bunny. Because I M going to some trendy bespoke (expensive) clinic, they can make the dose up just for me instead of normal HRT. She said it is the testosterone which sort the libido - which I think isn't in the stuff the NHS prescribe?

Camper - I'm sorry it happened so young for you, but I am so glad to hear it is going well. The hot flushes completely suck. And weight gain.

I had the same dx on my 36th birthday.

I remember the news hitting me like a train. I was still ttc so I had to deal with that first.

I also felt old, and scared of the impact on my health.

I have been on a contraceptive pill since then and it's working great. It completely simulates the levels of hormones I should have and I'll stay on it until I'm 55. I'd be interested to know whether your combination is any different. My gp offered me hrt patches but pointed out bcps are free and have the same balance of hormones!

It's been 6 yrs since I had my results and I've completely come to terms with it now. I'm actually quite pleased my painful periods are no more. It took me a while to realise that it's not a health problem it's just a timing problem. It's a natural process that happens to all women. My friends are just starting to enter peri now and it's good to know it's all behind me.

My only advice is keep taking the hormones and ignore anyone who recommends managing "naturally". Early meno is different and you need the hormones for your physical health.

Mainly though - don't panic. It's not as bad as you think it is right now!

You would be more reasonable to put this in the menopause forum, maybe, where there are lots of people who are interested in this?! I am 52. HRT is wonderful.

My menopause was diagnosed at 26. Early menopause sucks. I've been on HRT since with a few breaks for donor egg IVF and breastfeeding. While I'm fine off HRT Im better with it. Moods are more even, libido higher. It's a good drug worth trying but you might need monitoring to get the right dose etc. Negative is the slightly increased risk of breast cancer balanced by its protection against osteoporosis and heart disease.

You're not old Sweet, put that thought out of your mind.
Hopefully, you'll soon be feeling much like your usual self, you are fortunate to have the advice of a good consultant. 🌺

Were you hoping to have a(nother) child, OP? I agree that 41 seems young but there are bonuses, and you sound as if you have a thorough and knowledgeable doctor.

My 2 DD's were rubbing my stomach tonight saying I had a baby in there, nope just early meno and too much cake!

If I'd not had my girls, the diagnosis would have been much worse. I'd guessed that's what was going on so the actual diagnosis wasn't such a shock. Worried about the long term implications of it and if it's genetic and affects the girls, but can't do anything about that now.

The bespoke hrt sounds good! Didn't know that was a thing.

AIBU for this? Ask for it to be moved to the Menopause section - great advice in there from posters who are well informed about HRT. In AIBU it won't be long till the dickheads join in.

I've no idea about the designer HRT stuff, but as a GP myself, I could have arranged for you to have blood tests (free on the NHS!) which would confirm what sounds like it could be early menopause (as you are between 40-45). There are guidelines from NICE on menopause which tell you what to expect and treatment options. I would recommend you have a look on the excellent menopausematters.co.uk website (sorry I can't link on my iPad). Have you seen a GP about your symptoms? Some of us (as ahem... ladies of a certain age) are quite interested in assessing menopausal symptoms and discussing treatments. When was your last period?

My dm went through it early 40s and I'm keeping a close eye on my periods and what my body is doing (just turned 40)

Did everyone with early meno have dm/dsis who did also?

I had an early menopause and felt the same at first but years in I know the hormone therapy has made all the difference to me and have been very grateful for it. My thought now is that ages for period onset, menopause etc. should probably be expressed in ranges. Your doctor sounds great.

I'm 47 and on the combines pill

I'll stay on it until I get bad menopause symptoms then I'll have no qualms with moving on to HRT

why suffer?

I was 43 when I was told this but the symptoms started at 40 and it was a chance remark to a GP which had me tested. Can't really help but wanted to let you know that hrt was amazing. It kicked in really quickly for me and I haven't looked back. Emotionally I didn't really care as I was just relieved to have an answer to feeling so old and getting help. I'm 47 now and plan to stay on hrt forever 😁

By the way, take care with the customised bioidentical HRT, there have been concerns about this, as it's not regulated by the MHRA (i.e. may not meet standards of safety, quality etc). Basically you might not know exactly what you're getting, and there's no evidence that working out individualised doses (for example by testing saliva) has any benefit. Saying that, the advantage private docs have is plenty of time to discuss your symptoms and concerns, which definitely is helpful, and really therapeutic.

Anyone know if the home tests for meno are any good? Having signs but reluctant to go to gp.

If you're under 45, Lucky, your GP should agree to a blood test. If you're older, not having regular periods, and having symptoms that are probably the menopause/perimenopause, no point in a blood test to confirm that you're probably menopausal.

These replies are so helpful. I'm going to get this moved to menopause as several of you suggest, then read and respond properly.
Thank you.