Well being

[Applejack87]

I’m 53 and peri , I’m not taking HRT are there any ladies like me not on HRT
How do you take care of yourself ? Do you take supplements ? My Dr just recommended VIt D

I'm not taking HRT either. I'm 55 & out the other side according to blood tests. I do use Vagifem, which has a tiny dose of hormones & helps with dryness. Without it I'm uncomfortable.

I take vitamin D, a glucosamine & turmeric supplement & also Menopace vitamins. On the whole I'm OK & I've had a reasonably easy time of it.

I’m 44 and menopausal. I’m not in HRT. I feel ok but the not being able to sleep is driving me nuts. I’m literally just led here wide awake and restless.
I’ve been feeling ok, but every now and then, I suddenly feel really sad in my stomach. For no apparent reason. I’m taking calcium and vit d supplements.
Tomorrow night I’m going to watch the menopause documentary from bbc iplayer. I’m finding google a bit repetitive and not all that helpful.

I'm 45 and perimenopausal.
Not on hrt and agree that lack of sleep is a pita.
Also have aching joints, dryness, acne, weight gain, and facial / neck hairs - lucky me

I take Menopace, Vit B complex, folic acid, starflower oil, magnesium, and high strength Vit C and zinc.

GP recommended Sylk for dryness but I've found Yes VM to work better.

Currently wide awake!

I'm also wide awake, not unusual for me as I've always been a bit of a night owl. The aching joints are annoying & I find myself wondering if HRT would help. I've noticed a few odd facial hairs - I've added checking for them to my morning routine

@Applejack87 Vit D is a recommended supplement for all adults now, especially in the winter months. If your diet is good - masses of veg and fruit, wholegrains, dairy, nuts and oily fish- you ought not to need supplements except Vit D.

@Ozziewozzie

Are you actually post menopause? If your periods have stopped (rather than being in peri meno) the advised medical treatment is HRT at least to age 51. This is the same as supplemented with insulin or thyroxine in people who don't have enough- it's a medical condition to have an early menopause and needs treating to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease and possibly dementia later in life. Not trying to scare you but too many women do not have bone and heart health on their radar and don't understand the link to hormone levels.

The main reason I started HRT was for lack of sleep- which is a big health risk factor if it carries on long term because it's linked to weight gain/ diabetes and heart disease - and many hot flushes all day.

The Gp said blood tests were conclusive that I was ‘very menopausal’
I have a coil and so don’t have any periods st all so I genuinely don’t know. Did have a baby 18 mths ago.

I visited her because of lack of sleeping, slight drunk feelings regularly, and my hair which has always been straight literally suddenly went really curly at the back. Bizarre. Few hot flushes but nothing unmanageable.

She said peri menopausal women sometimes have loads of symptoms but blood test doesn’t show anything. My bloods were really obvious apparently.
Other than that, I really don’t know.

Is anyone taking anything for helping to sleep?

Blood tests are not reliable, that's true.

You do though need more blood tests if you want to be sure. FSH level or 30 for several consecutive months would be more reliable.

TBH she and you ought to be playing safe to protect your bones because at 44 you would be a good 7-8 years early compared to average age of menopause. The NICE guidelines on peri and menopause say that do not do blood tests on women over 45 (as unreliable) but treat any symptoms as menopause. And they also say that on women under 45, with symptoms, HRT is recommended.

Thanks @jinglinghellsbells

I hadn’t realised this. This is all relatively new to me.
I’ll go back to her and ask. At he very least a telephone appt.

Thankyou for your replies I really don’t have terrible symptoms but the lack of sleep is getting me down , I wake up several times through out the night i used to sleep so well . Any tips I feel like a zombie most mornings

I’m 50 and peri-menopausal. Periods are just more erratic now, used to be 29 days clockwork . I sleep really badly too now, and I used to sleep right through.
I plan on taking no HRT. I take some multi-vits but that’s it.

I had dreadful insomnia so much so I was slurring my words and hallucinating, that coupled with 40+ flushes a day and drenching night sweats, I went through about a year trying all the natural and herbal supplements, stopped drinking alcohol and caffeine and really cleaned up my diet which took the edge off some of my symptoms. I already have a mirena for heavy periods (which completely stopped them) but about 9 months age added an oestrogen patch.
It's been a revelation! All of my symptoms have disappeared, not one hot flush or night sweat, my mental health is great and best of all I sleep through the night most of the time.

Another plus is because I feel so well I've been exercising more so am more toned and have lost weight.
If you're having debilitating symptoms why feel that you have to battle through, at least have a conversation about it with your GP.

Rosie39forever you are doing all the right things , my Dr is an older lady I’d say in her 50’s but she isn’t sympathetic about menopause think I need a chat with a different Dr . Ozziewozzie what time is the menopause programme on please ?

@Applejack87 I think the TV prog referred to is on iplayer as it was on BBC about a year ago- with Mariella Frostrup. It's a pretty basic guide and is very pro HRT as she uses it. Have you read the info on the website My Menopause Doctor- by Louise Newson? or if you use Twitter there are loads of meno blogs to follow where you can keep up to date with meno stuff. OR the website of the British Menopause Society is good but you need to dig around in the menu to find the relevant bits.

@Applejack87 The thing that is important to understand is that the symptoms of peri can last post menopause too. I didn't start HRT till I was 53 and I had a very 'easy ' peri- no symptoms much at all. When my periods stopped for good that is when the symptoms began.

They can last forever in some women (my consultant told me this and there are women using HRT in their 90s for this reason) or if you are lucky you might get away with a few years of it all. But you won't know until you are in there and time is passing.

Hallo Applejack87. I'm 58. My sleep pattern has settled down again now but I still get hot flushes and night sweats. I don't use full HRT but I do use Vagifem as after the menopause I started getting frequent UTIs (haven't had another one since starting the Vagifem in April). I have also taken up running to try to keep my bones healthy (and I eat a lot of cheese!). Apart from the running, I also cycle to work so haven't put on any weight, but it has distributed itself differently and my waist is not what it was pre-menopause.

@JinglingHellsBells
I had no idea that could happen. It’s do hard to know what to do and where to begin. This happens to all women so you’d think there would be more support and preparation etc ref this. It’s not as though it’s a new thing?
I’d love to get a good book about it, but I’m getting the impression that different books will say so many different things.

@Ozziewozzie There is quite a lot of support out there but you need to know where to look. Women's mags are full of articles on meno and there is a lot on Twitter if you use social media and follow menopause drs or support groups. One book written by a menopause consultant is Your Change Your Choice which is worth a look. There are lots of others but many are written by non-medical people who are also selling products/lifestyle stuff so be aware.

Thankyou ladies for all your replies , Menopause sucks . Jinglinghellsbells I agree that the advice we read varies my Dr hasn't even mentioned HRT the only thing she suggested was Vit D .
I'd give anything for a decent nights sleep I'm constantly exhausted I wake up so many times during the night .

Has anyone got any advice on sleep I go to bed exhausted but lay there unable to sleep it’s driving me nuts as I’m like a zombie most days . Are there any supplements that could help ?

Magnesium I think aids sleeping. I take a Magnesium supplement amongst others.

Hi Garamedouar , I’m willing to try anything I’m that exhausted , may I ask how many mg do you take ?

My tablet is 250mg, to take one a day. Someone recommended it to me , not sure if it helps but can’t harm. Bought from Holland & Barrett. It’s blurb says ‘contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth’ and ‘contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue’. Oh and also I heard if you eat a banana before bed that aids sleep too.

And no caffeine after noon, plus no alcohol. I’ve stopped my glass of wine since 1 Sep and sleep better. If I drink alcohol it sends me off but then I’m awake half the night.

Thankyou I’ll buy some Magnesium & I’ll give the banana a try

magnesium is a kind of muscle relaxant but be warned..it can give you loose bowels! I take Osteocare which is a combo of calcium and has 150mgs magnesium per tablet. If I take 2 tabs I am never off the loo.

It's better to google foods high in magnesium and get it via diet if you can.