I'm throwing the towel in

[Laeta]

I'm throwing the towel in and going to go down the HRT route. I've being going through the menopause about 5 years. It's not been as awful as some, but not great.

I take LOADS of supplements, am slim, eat healthily (mostly) exercise daily (cardio and weights), don't drink. My resting heart rate is 52. So I'm pretty fit! Or USED TO BE!

For the love of god, there is nothing more I can do!

Anyway, have steadily been feeling better and thought I was over the worst of it. Woooo hooo

I didn't get hot flushes, I used to get cold shivers! I could always tell when something hormonaly was going on as I'd get wee electric shock thingies going on.

So was feeling pretty smug, over the worst of it, I've stopped wanting to kill everyone or cry every day. All good.

However for the last 2 months or so, my body has become so incredibly achy. If I stay still for more than an hour, I literally can't walk. If I miss a day of exercise, the next day I can't get out of bed easily. I'm like a 90 year old! Which according to Dr Google could be low oestrogen.

Also my sleep has gone mental! Ping I'm awake at 5am every morning. And averaging between 2-4 hours a night sleep. Wow that doesn't seem a lot when you write it down!

So I'm gonna have to go on HRT, I feel sick and incredibly sad as that is not the route I wanted to go down. It's all personal choices and know a lot of you have gone down that route. I've never even taken the pill preferring Dutch cap method.

Anyway, bloody hell this is turning into a novel sorry, after reading some threads here yesterday I rang my GP to discuss. Three weeks before a telephone appointment, three sodding weeks!

Is that normal? I've not been to the doctor for god knows how many years! Three weeks!

So the whole point of this thread is .... yeah I'm getting there. Has anyone gone to a private clinic and any recommendations?

And has anyway else tried HR so late through the menopause journey? I'm 56 ffs! Should be well over it by now!!

Again thank you all so much for your support and your experiences! It helps so much! Thank you Vipers.

@flippit81 yes you're right "take control" is exactly how I should be thinking of it! 2 weeks to go until GP appointment 🙄

Hmmmm, folic acid? May give it ago - thank you for that info :)

@Macey42

Please don’t give up, I was exactly like you. I’m 57 have three grown stapling lads 6 grandchildren and a wonderful husband. So right life should have been great... hell no! No one could look at me without me shouting showing off or crying. The. I’d feel terrible because I’m suppose to be stronger always use to be. But how to do explain to a man.. that you body feels like an alien has gotten to it, no sleep, or just a few hrs, no sex drive, feels of worthlessness as you feel no wear near as attractive as you was. My middle now resembles some sort of beach ball and I felt that I was watching myself through a mirror and couldn’t stop the crap from happening. Flushes that had me taking off putting on I resembled some sort of shop dummy. Then just to top it all joint pain .. bloody hell Chuck the kitchen sink at me. But now I’ve listed all my woes.. I went to HRT and thank someone somewhere it went away, I can sleep, my joints feel so much better and my family no longer wish I lived in Outer Mongolia. Please go to your doctor and tell them how bad you feel and hopefully within a couple of weeks you’ll fine slightly normal again.

Can I ask what hrt you're using? I've been taking novofem for a year now but my sleep is no better and my neck pain is really debilitating. I take a lot of painkillers.

@Laeta The research into folic acid was 70 women. That is minute in trials.

So by week 4, the outcome reduced by this (with folic acid, column on left.)

2.87 3.37

Have you had a read of the website My Menopause Dr? (Dr Louise Newson.)

It has some very helpful articles on HRT, risks and benefits.

I’m using femston conti now. When I first went onto them I was put on the same ones as you novofem and they did absolutely nothing for me.
Keep persevering with going back to the doctors until you find the ones that work for you.

@Laeta There are no medals for struggling on through menopause symptoms that can last for life, in some women.

HRT now is not 'medication' according to menopause drs. It's a supplement. It's also made from yams, and is completely different to the Pill or the older types of HRT.

Posters have suggested getting your thyroid tested- so if it was low, you'd take thyroxine, surely and not think that was 'throwing in the towel'. Ditto people with Type1 Diabetes.

Not sure who you have booked with for your consultation but I've had a private gynae/ meno consultant for 15 years who is one of the best in the UK- PM me if you want details.

I totally agree, my quality of life has drastically improved I actually feel like the old me. Which can sound rather dramatic but how I was feeling with the big M was defo not me.
I know that that hrt is not for everyone but for me it’s been a bit of a life saver.

@JinglingHellsBells thank you that's a perfect way of looking at it!!

So I've had my 10 mins Dr Appointment after waiting over 3 weeks, and have been prescribed everol50 AND Utrogestan 100.

So am starting today. Let's see how it goes!

Wtf! Just read the package leaflet, it says you will bleed once a month while taking Ultrogestan!! My GP said I may have slight spotting.

2 bloody different things!

I had the patches when I first started and they gave you a bleed, what you have to way up is whether a bleed once a month is as bad as feeling like crap for the other three weeks.
Give them a try and if you can’t get on with it...go back and change them for another one, there are a lot of different ones out there.
As I said I could have given Freddie cruger a run for his money, but now after finding the one that’s worked for me ...hey normal again.
Good luck it’s not a pleasant time but keep going you will get there.

After 16 years on oral HRT I was advised to change and now have a Mirena coil (wasn't expecting that age 64!) and oestrogel. I was advised by G.P. and consultant this is now the gold standard for HRT, and that I was lucky the G.P. decided to fund it. The consultant told me he has had NHS patients on this combination to age 94, so I'm relieved to find something that works well for me and is fairly low risk.