So it's been confirmed

[Tui76]

I recently had a funny bleed (light period that was a start-stop-start and lasted for over 10 days), which prompted me to visit my Gyno. He ran a few tests - a blood test, pap smear and pelvic ultrasound.

Well my blood test shows that I am going through perimenopause at 43 years of age. Basically my FSH was 48 - anything over 30 shows menopause. My estrogen was just over 200 - anything under 200 shows menopause.

Pap smear was fine. The pelvic ultrasound showed some fluid in my uterus (and I need to redo it on days 5-7 of my cycle).

I still get my monthly cycles, but these have clearly changed over the past few years, with funny bleeds here and there, lighter than usual periods, strong PMS symptoms (whereas before I had none), etc. Recently I started getting migraines, feel tired, get body aches all over...

My doctor recommended that, if my period stops in the next few years, I take HRT. He basically said that, because I am so young, menopause may have devastating effects on my wellbeing. Anyone else with a view?

Don't worry about stuff.
Just do what you do and and don't over analyse things. 43 is the right age for you . We are all different. Not everyone needs HRT. Not everyone finds menopause a faff. Good days often outweigh the bad so just enjoy yourself and embrace this new stage.

You actually do need HRT as the lack of estrogen (and actually progesterone too) can have a devastating effect on your body as well as your mental health. My ovaries packed in in my late 20's and although I've been on HRT since (although it has transpired that the dose is wrong), my mental and physical health isn't brilliant. There are other factors but the loss of estrogen hasn't helped. 43 is still considered to be premature menopause IIRC.

I've been getting symptoms from that age as have most my friends, it's just life I suppose. I actually wish my periods would stop but mine stubbornly continue whilst I have broken sleep overheating day and night!

Do you have other symptoms? Most of my friends who went on HRT only did it because the hot flushes and fogginess etc became debilitating. If your only symptoms are irregular periods I’d avoid it. Half of my friends had fairly symptomless menopause (their periods just petered out) and there’s been no ‘devastating’ effect. And of the ones that did, only A few went on HRT. Only one found the whole thing really awful and refused HRT and I couldn’t understand why in her case but she’s the only one.

Meno varies wildly from woman to woman. My symptoms have been mild flushing, a few night sweats and aching joints. The mild flushing went with sage tablets, night sweats only come with spicy foods or lots of wine so can be controlled for me, and joint pain went with turmeric capsules. (I was not expecting the sage or turmeric tablets to help but they did.)

So my experience, together with light periods which stopped completely in September (I am crossing my fingers for that to continue to September so I can say I am done!) has been annoying sometimes but in the main, ignorable.

However, some friends and colleagues have had an horrendous time and have had to go on HRT.

Unless you have to, I would suggest you leave it a while and see what symptoms, and their severity, are.

(Keeping fit and at a healthy weight helps too.)

Have a read around for articles on early menopause. Medical advice is HRT. It doesn't matter if you have symptoms or not @Sarcelle.
Early menopause is a medical condition. it's totally different to periods stopping over 50.

HRT is necessary to ...

1 prevent bone loss ( osteoporosis in 10 years time)
2 to protect your heart ( estrogen protects the arteries)

Loss of estrogen 8-10 years before the average age of menopause puts you at risk of the above diseases.

HRT puts back what you ought to have at 43. It's really a no-brainer and there are no risks for women your age using it.

It's a bit scary that some of the above posts show no knowledge of the risks of early menopause.

1:2 women over 50 have osteoporosis. It kills more women every year than breast cancer (they die from complications of broken hips, chest infections/pneumonia where there lungs don't work due to collapsed spines, etc.) Quality of life is awful because falls have to be avoided and even something as simple as lifting a window open can cause a fractured vertebra.

It's a killer disease. By the time it's diagnosed, often in the late 60s or 70s, the drugs don't work that well and have terrible side effects.
THIS is why HRT is needed for younger women.

It's not about whether you have hot flushes or don't feel 'well' it's about your long term health and quality of life.

Thanks girls. Appreciate your input.

@JinglingHellsBells this is exactly what my doctor told me. He said that if I was 53 he would tell me that I could go on HRT but without symptoms it's not necessary. But because I am only 43 he would strongly recommend it to preserve my physical and mental health.

However, he didn't recommend I go on it right now as he said I still have some hormones floating around my body. The timeframe he gave me is 'in a couple of years'.

I don't have any hot flushes at the moment.

Your dr is right. Delaying it - if you are still having periods of some sort, that's why.

Thanks God you have a clued up dr!

Too many women don't know the risks of early menopause and don't bother to see a dr if they have no other symptoms. By the time they reach 60, their health is a complete mess.