Will my Mum's menopause go on forever?

[ShowOfHands]

She had a complete hysterectomy at 46 and HRT for 10 years. She is 64 now and still struggling. She does have fewer hot flashes, probably 5 a day instead of 10-15 but blood tests confirm she is still menopausal with sleep problems, exhaustion, hormonal headaches etc.

Is there anything that might help?

All the GP can suggest is anti-depressants and she has tried them but with no effect. Google seems to suggest the hot flashes which are the worst symptom, might never go away.

Hrt would be the recommendation I suspect, quality of life has to be considered. My mother started hrt at 47 and is still taking it at 79.

She needs to go back on HRT. My mum didn't use HRT ( that was decades ago- she's in her 90s) and had/ has hot flushes into her late 80s as well as insomnia.

There is no time limit to using HRT so why did she stop at 56?

When you say she is 'still menopausal- well...yes of course she is. Once you are menopausal, the clock can't be turned back. After a final period, all women are post menopause for life. Not sure what the point of the blood test was? All it would show would be the hormone profile of a 60+ yr old woman.

She is no longer in peri menopause, so the headaches are not 'hormonal'. These only occur in younger women who have not yet reached menopause (last period.)

But she does sound as if she is not coping with all the post menopause symptoms, so needs to find a dr who is happy to give her HRT again. She will need to start with a low dose and a transdermal type (patches.)

I don't understand it tbh. Her hormones have not settled apparently. I'm not sure what they test for but the GP just keeps telling her that her body is still going through the motions and will calm down. No idea what they actually test her for.

They have said no to HRT but not sure why. She has had cancer which is why they stopped it in the first place.

Sounds as if either your mum has misunderstood or her GP is not good at diagnosing something.

At 64 with no ovaries, she will have no estrogen. There is no way her hormones are 'settling down' now at her age and with no ovaries. She will not have any progesterone either.

What type of cancer did she have?

I was put back on HRT at 73, i am now 76 anf just trying a different type, my Dr said there are women older than me still on it, so tell her to try a different Dr ,unless of course it is definitely because of the cancer she had and what it involved

I have been told there are women in their 90s using it.

Interesting to hear re older women, I had hyst and ovaries out at 46 and was told I can only have HRT until I'm 51!

Complete bollocks.

Who ARE these drs telling lies- or rather giving out inaccurate info? They are SO behind the times that it's shocking.

Please read the NICE guidelines on menopause and those on the website of the British Menopause Society.

You may have to dig around a bit with the latter but it might be under 'Consensus Statements' or Fact Sheets.

The advice is that women like you MUST have HRT to at LEAST 51 (age of average menopause) to protect their bones and heart, and after that there is no limit on HRT.

I didn't even start it till almost 53, and used it now for 11 years under a world class meno consultant who trains other medics.

@JinglingHellsBells I've had to push even for what I have now - been doing some digging and there is a menopause specialist quite near to me, think it would be money well spent to go and see them, on my last visit to GP, it involved looking things up and a lot of umming and ahhing before agreeing to a new prescription.

I was told after 51 that I had to be "weaned off" HRT, but following your post I'm understanding a lot more, thank you .

Apologies to OP for derail!

@JinglingHellsBells I think it's due to the cancer that they won't give her HRT. My Mum had to stop hormones when she had breast cancer and the hot flashes are unbearable at times she is 76.
It is quite awful for women that had cancer as it's twice as awful.

@wherearemyminions

I find it incredible and it makes me so angry that women like you are being treated this way.

The NICE guidelines which came out in 2015 were supposed to put an end to all these myths about length of time on HRT etc. Any dr worth their salt (and big fat pay cheque) should have read them.

The idea that HRT was for 2-5 years is completely out of date now.

This is the BMS statement (one of them) and you can see it says there are to be no time limits on it.

thebms.org.uk/publications/consensus-statements/hormone-replacement-therapy/

@Bluejag Sorry are you the OP with another name?

I'm confused.

Can't answer for someone who is 76 and had BC- she needs to see her dr and ask for advice.

@JinglingHellsBells I'm not. Not sure if I didn't explain things properly.
My mother had breast cancer and had to stop hrt. She still suffering terrible with hot flushes at the age of 76.

Sorry @Bluejag I was confused. I'd written several posts before the OP came back to say her mum has had cancer so my posts weren't relevant once she said that. We don't know where she had cancer though which is relevant.

@JinglingHellsBells my mother was told to stop as there is a possibility that the hormones can increase the likelihood for the cancer to come back.

@Bluejag yes I know. The point was @Showofhands didn't at first say her mum had had cancer. And depending on what type of cancer, HRT might be okay. she said she used HRT for 10 years but didn't say anything about cancer.