GP appointment?

[flier]

I’ve been having a quick read through posts, and so much of it rings true for me.

I’m 47, have had terrible hip and back pain when ovulating for probably the last 5 years. My mood was awful, full of anger. I was prescribed fluoxetine about a year and a half ago, and I’m like a new person, no mood swings, much calmer in general.
Which brings me to now. I haven’t had a period since the beginning of November. Should I go to my gp? What would I gain from doing so? Are there tests they would do?

Well if you have no menopausal symptoms and don’t want HRT then you may not need to see a GP. There are no tests that they would do and if you’re happy and settled on your fluoxetine then stay as you are for now.

Remember you need contraception for two years after your last period when under 50.

I wouldn’t bother and just be super happy with the lack of periods 😃

I think you need to explore all of this a bit more.

Hip and back pain are not linked to ovulation normally.
Did your GP ever refer you for a pelvic scan for instance?

I can't see the logic in giving you an anti depressant for moods and pain caused by a possible gynaecology issue or mood swings brought on by peri menopause.

This goes against NICE menopause guidance and GPs are being told to stop prescribing in very strong terms!
Read the guidelines yourself- there is a thread here where I've asked for them to be pinned.

At 47 you are 5 years early compared to the average age of menopause.

The correct treatment would be to take you off ADs- it's not recommended anyone is on them long term anyway unless you have been assessed as depressed.

If when you stop, your mood swings come back, it's HRT that is first line treatment.

You should also insist on a DEXA bone density scan because if your periods stopped at 47 you that's considered a bit early and your bones may be at risk.

Well it depends.. it’s probably just that time of life, but if there’s any odd symptoms with unprotected sex there might be a quick test to rule out one thing.

You could try HRT instead of anti depressants but it involves going back off of them and possibly having issues getting the hrt that works best for you.

But generally there’s no harm in ringing and asking if they think it’d be an idea to do any further investigations.

Jingling I’m assuming the OP was prescribed fluoxetine for her awful mood, rather than the pain and hormonal symptoms specifically. But yes extreme pain in the hips and pelvis should have been investigated more thoroughly.

In my area you won’t be referred for a DEXA scan without other risk factors at the age of 47. It would be women amenorrheic for a year or more under the age of 45.

Sidge but if the awful moods were linked to peri menopause, that's against Nice guidance.

DEXA scans are available privately, if women want to pursue that, but someone I know was referred on the NHS for one in her early 50s after breaking a bone, as she had her last period at 47. GP said it was considered 'early'.

No early is before 45 and premature before 40.

Yes the OP isn’t clear whether her mood was related to any other peri symptoms, if it wasn’t then prescribing an SSRI is entirely reasonable. Of course now she is peri then a review would be indicated.

sidge I knowthat. I write about health and have written numerous articles on this with input from the ROS. I was quoting what my friend's GP had said. There is still some relevance . The ages of 45 and 40 are indeed there, but you will also find some drs and specialists who regard 47 as on the early side because in the UK the average age is 51-52.

Thanks everyone. Peri menopause wasn’t mentioned at all by my gp. Meds were prescribed for severe pmt. I’m certainly enjoying being period free, so will sit tight for now.