Do I need to see a doctor?

[Penfield]

I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't Covid times. But seeing as it's so difficult to book an appointment and get seen -

I've been perimenopausal for years. Irregular periods, occasional hot flushes of a sort, anxiety, moments of fury etc

Then March 2020 came along/lockdown etc and I was hot flushing most evenings. My periods stopped for a few months.

Since then the gaps between my periods have got longer and longer. Now I don't know when the last one was. It could have been 2/3 months ago but feels longer.

I have so many hot flushes. All throughout the day and less so at night. I get them more when I'm stressed.

This is the menopause - isn't it?

I feel totally healthy otherwise.

Do I need to see a doctor to confirm this and how actually would they?

It's not menopause until 12 months period free, but it's definitely peri menopause!. You should be diagnosed on symptoms alone if you're over 45. You should definitely speak to your GP if your symptoms are interfering with normal life.
Maybe also have a read of the menopause matters website and the nice guidelines on menopause and HRT.

Don't feel guilty about taking up appointments, ask yourself would you seek medical help if these symptoms were caused by any other disease or illness?

I had a phone appointment with my doctor today to discuss my symptoms. I’ve been prescribed hrt in cream form to see if it helps. I had the mirena coil fitted earlier this year to deal with my awful periods.

I’m 52 and very pleased to have been taken seriously about this. My symptoms aren’t terrible but they have been bothering me so hopefully the hrt will help this.

That's great news, it's a bit of a rarity to find a GP that isn't dismissive of meno symptoms! I've have a mirena and have been using oestrogen patches for 3 years, hopefully you'll start to feel a bit like you again!!

I'd make an appointment for a phone call with a GP. I did this last year and was really happy to be taken seriously. I had my coil renewed, a blood test which was consisten with menopause (the caveat being I've been on the coil for months) and a oresciprtion for estrogel. I was a new woman overnight

I’ll be the odd one out and say it’s a life stage not a medical problem and doesn’t need to be diagnosed.

As far as I know GPs have been told to stop doing blood tests to confirm menopause in women of normal menopausal age as it is a waste of money.

I think you only need to see a doctor if your symptoms are interfering with your life unduly.

That’s helpful everyone. Thank you.

Symptoms don’t interfere with life other than hot sweats like a fever several times every hour are annoying.

I may book a phone appointment just to check it can’t be anything else.

@Egghead68 it's a good point and given the current lack of plastic ware blood tests may be rationed. My GP discussed it with me and while he thought that it was probably not going to change his suggestion that I try HRT, he did suggest that it was worth ruling out other things that could be masked by symptoms.

@Penfield I didn't have hot sweats so much as just wake up too warm and then not be able to get back to sleep, so I was barely functioning. My mood swings are also not as extreme now.

For info this article discusses the new NICE guidelines:

www.guidelinesinpractice.co.uk/womens-health/laboratory-tests-are-not-required-to-diagnose-menopause-in-over-45s/453222.article

I agree with @Egghead68.

You only need to see your GP if you feel your symptoms are so bad that you want prescribed treatment, usually HRT.

If your symptoms are not that bad, you can manage a lot with lifestyle changes (loads of info online!)

Your GP will only reassure you that this is all normal.

If you want to feel better, yes, speak to your GP! Why feel as though you just have to manage on your own. You deserve more! It's well worth doing some of your own research first as many GPs are not well trained about treating menopause symptoms (although some are) & you may find that they really don't know accurate info about symptoms & HRT as they receive minimal training or have old fashioned inaccurate ideas. I'd highly recommend taking your time to look through the mymenopausedoctor website as it contains fact & evidence based information with lots of videos & podcasts & factsheets. There is also the Balance app where you can log your symptoms & take a print out to your GP. There is also the menopausecharity website & the NICE guidelines for information You'll get a good idea about what's going on with you during this time & learn loads about the options you have to manage the symptoms (including HRT). I've been on body identical (made from yams) HRT now for over a year & I'm so glad I didn't wait long after the hot flushes before trying it. I've read so many posts from women who wish they'd treated their symptoms sooner rather than later. HRT many long term benefits (bones, heart, etc), few risks & can be taken forever. There are many old myths/ideas about it that just aren't correct. Knowledge is power & the more you have, the better you'll be informed to make a choice. x