Do symptoms settle down after menopause?

[Daphnesmate01]

Can anyone tell me (from experience) whether the symptoms of menopause settles down once you're actually through it. I experience anxiety anyway but I feel like it's been exacerbated. Also lack of libido and insomnia. I think I've got quite a list now.

Not currently on hrt and other than creams don't really want to go down that route.

I started the menopause at 52. I am now 59 and although symptoms are a lot better, I do still get hot flushes, but not as often or severe as they were. I go for weeks thinking they’ve got better and gone, then bang they’re back. I wanted HRT, but my blood pressure wasn’t low enough, so I would have had to increase my tablets each day to be put on HRT

I have anxiety anyway and what with the peri. and covid my prospects of returning to work anytime soon are limited. I'm currently looking at starting a small on-line business and I think I will plough my efforts into this for the time being.

Has anyone else struggled to function because of peri/had to adapt their lifestyles?

Has anyone else struggled to function because of peri/had to adapt their lifestyles

No, not personally. I suffered from hourly flushes and lack of sleep. I couldn't continue feeling professional in a client-facing role with these so started HRT. I also had long distance elderly parents, necessitating a 5 hr drive.

I feel that if modern treatments are relatively safe and improve quality of life, they should be used - my take on it anyway. A dr told me that the risks of driving on a motorway are higher than dying from HRT.

Have you thought of using online CBT or seeing someone to manage your anxiety?

@Daphnesmate01 If your peri anxiety is so bad that you are unable to go out to work, maybe it would be good to at least re-think your idea on HRT? It's quite serious to feel you have to adapt your life when something could very well rid you of that anxiety and other symptoms.

You've not said what your concerns are and I don't want to second guess but all I will say is that many women are misinformed by the media headlines or believe things that are untrue about HRT.

The website of Dr Louise Newson has some excellent PDFs on meno and HRT where she explains all the risks and benefits, and it's a very up to date site.

It's quite serious to feel you have to adapt your life when something could very well rid you of that anxiety and other symptoms.

I've experienced anxiety most of my life and have worked in jobs that are probably below my ability (good degree but low emotional tolerance), so the peri symptoms are just exaggerating this. But, I do have some psychotherapy lined up when they actually start doing face to face sessions again (currently on-line).

Sure, it's likely that peri is making it worse.

What's your fears or reluctance to try HRT based on?

The one thing I can't seem to work out is, does taking HRT mean you will have monthly bleeds again? Or is it a case that you get unexpected bleeding until you work out the right combination to suit?

It's little bit semantics, but medically the definition of all women who do not have more periods are in menopause (for the rest of their lives.) menopause=no more periods.

Well, no, that's not right. After twelve months of no periods, a woman is considered to be post-menopausal, for the rest of her life.

Which is a long swathe of time for many, with little information given women about what to expect, or what options there are, in my view.

@cbt944 'In menopause' and 'in post menopause' are the same thing.

Peri menopause is the only other stage.

Many women say they are in menopause when they mean going through peri menopause.

@JinglingHellsBells I had a look at the website you linked, and she mentions four stages: Pre-, peri-, menopause proper (periods stop or pause), and post-menopause, as the stage after periods have stopped for twelve successive months, and as the name for the stage of life thereafter. That is the term that is commonly used, in my experience.

All the drama seems to be in the lead-up, and little is discussed in any of the many books I've scoured on the topic of menopause about post-menopause that goes beyond a paragraph or two! I find it very odd, given it can be forty or fifty or more years of a woman's life.

Sure. Not going to quibble :) but I think the main confusion is that women say they are 'menopausal' when they are peri menopausal.

I've been banging on here for years about lack of awareness of what post menopause means in terms of health. Too many women are suffering with all kinds of illnesses and symptoms that are directly down to loss of estrogen. In my Mum's generation, a lot of them suffered from 'nerves' when they got to 50 and spent decades on Valium or similar. Now, we know they need(ed) estrogen. But too many GPs are so poorly trained in menopause.

The International Menopause Society (IMS) published a paper on health for women in midlife (and beyond). It's an interesting read and although it doesn't go as far as saying 'HRT should be in the water' it goes a long way to discuss the benefits.

www.imsociety.org/manage/images/pdf/4429e3dd302aac259ad68c3be7f60599.pdf

@OneFootintheRave There are 2 types of HRT- one for women still having periods so you would have a bleed (like the Pill bleed) or continuous HRT for women 12 months without a natural period.

The no-period type is actually a choice - no medical reason to do it that way. There are pros and cons to a bleed type and a no-bleed type.

Sure. Not going to quibble but I think the main confusion is that women say they are 'menopausal' when they are peri menopausal.

Oh, I hear you. It's a mess.

I've been banging on here for years about lack of awareness of what post menopause means in terms of health. Too many women are suffering with all kinds of illnesses and symptoms that are directly down to loss of estrogen. In my Mum's generation, a lot of them suffered from 'nerves' when they got to 50 and spent decades on Valium or similar. Now, we know they need(ed) estrogen. But too many GPs are so poorly trained in menopause.

And a chunky cohort were completely put off the idea of using HRT by the largescale studies that emerged in the early part of this century, and have suffered horribly, perhaps unnecessarily.

Sorry to derail, you were giving such good information to the OP...
Thanks for the paper!

Yes, in my experience, my symptoms did settle down. I had sudden and severe anxiety, waking up with pounding heart, etc, for about seven months, and that settled. My joints, tendons, every hinge in my body was stiff and sore, so I upped the fish oil capsules, and that settled in about a month. I have had insomnia my entire life, so that's variable.

I was so surprised, and honestly I have never been happier since getting through the menopause transition and into post-menopause. I have not felt the need to go on HRT itself, but use cream.

I wouldn't mind using the creams but that is about the extent to which I want to venture into HRT.

Have a look at this:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/menopause/2658411-Vagifem-anyone-used-Any-side-effects

Vagifem has really helped me.

I wouldn't mind using the creams but that is about the extent to which I want to venture into HRT.

What worries you about HRT @Daphnesmate01 ?

At the end of the day it's your own choice, of course. But as you are suffering from anxiety bad enough to have counselling, would you consider trying it for 6 months?

The evidence shows that HRT is good for women's health. It protects hearts and bones, lowers risks of diabetes, lipid levels in the blood, protects against arthritis and Alzheimers and bowel cancer.

This is medical opinion (not mine I hasten to add.)

It's also safe for at least 5 years re cancer risks, which are very small after that time too.

Maybe worth thinking about or at least reading the medical info sheets on risks v benefits?

I am now almost 60 and my symptoms have largely settled but I found they were tremendously helped by me taking more control of my lifestyle - I reduced carbs in my diet, ate more healthily, lost some weight and tried to do some mindfulness. I still feel less confident than when I was younger but the real anxiety has passed and the hot flushes are almost gone
I decided against HRT as, despite knowing that the benefits largely outweigh the risks, I still felt anxious about it, possibly because I had a problem with the combined contraceptive pill when younger and was advised not to take that again so the niggle was already in my head. Like @Knittedfairies I have a vaginal preparation, mine is a cream, which has really helped

I decided against HRT as, despite knowing that the benefits largely outweigh the risks, I still felt anxious about it, possibly because I had a problem with the combined contraceptive pill when younger and was advised not to take that again so the niggle was already in my head

The Pill and HRT are totally different medication.

The Pill is a synthetic formula and a very large dose of hormones whereas HRT is identical in structure to our own hormones and a smaller dose- less than we have normally.