Night sweats, early waking and peri-menopause

[bungabungaboo]

Hi all

As the title says, I am waking with night sweats and also early waking (1.30 am-3.30am) today, 3.30am yesterday.

I seem to be working through the symptoms;heavy periods, vaginal dryness, hair loss, mood swings and so on

Last period 1/8/21

Anything worked for anyone with the night sweats or early waking?

Or will too pass ?

@bungabungaboo

I have to be honest I swing between going to the GP and giving it a try and then 'persevering' with the symptoms

I suppose I am apprehensive about taking it, as menopause is a natural progression like puberty

It's not a one-way street @bungabungaboo You can try HRT and stop if you want to at any time.

But menopause is not like puberty.

Puberty is a stage when we transition from childhood to adulthood. Menopause is a state of estrogen-loss that lasts for 30-40 years.

You might be lucky and get no symptoms or short-term ones or you may have them for decades. You won't know other than by waiting to see!

Such thoughtful posts I really appreciate the discussion 😊

It is like riding a roller coaster, I have a really bad week and I am convinced to take it and then I feel great for a week and change my mind 😢

As Jingling has said it is not a one way street 🤔

I’ve found magnesium tablets have helped with early morning waking - since trying them I find I now sleep till 6, still a bit early but better than 3am. Also adding a couple of big handfuls of Epsom salts to a bath before bed seems to have a similar effect - don’t know if it’s the bath or the magnesium but I definitely notice the difference to my nights.

bungabungaboo

…. Anything worked for anyone with the night sweats or early waking?”

I wasn’t suitable for HRT because if previous cancer. My GP prescribed parole tube for debilitating sweats night and day. Started with 10mg which worked (miraculously!) for a couple of months. I’ve had to build up to 30mg over 4 years but it’s been settled for a year or so now.

Paroxetine, not parole tube (predictive text 🙄)

Thanks for further info

I have heard about magnesium- how much do you take? Florence08

I took venflexane for hot flushes which did work after initial low starting dose was doubled but unfortunately developed side effects of raised BP and had nose bleeds and blood vessel rupture in my eye so had to stop

@bungabungaboo 375mg once a day.

Not keen on taking HRT so trying other things first, one by one so I can monitor effects: Menopace (and Tesco’s version), black cohosh, soy isoflavones and increasing soy in diet. Magnesium is the only thing so far that has consistently made a difference to my sleep. I was reaching sleep crisis point as waking at 3am every day and couldn’t get back to sleep. Since taking magnesium I now sleep through till 6am so it is an improvement.

Nothing has improved the hot flushes yet though!

Thanks Florence08

Sorry to hear of the side effects GardenersDelight
I hope you have found something else to help

In my late 40s/early 50s I was experiencing symptoms but they were manageable. I wasn't sure about HRT as there were mixed messages about it a few years ago. Over the last couple of years though (I'm now late 50s) I've had terrible sweats/night sweats, dryness, terrible sleep and brain fog. Following the Davina programme, reading up for myself the recent research on risks and speaking with friends I finally asked the GP for HRT. Three months in and what a game changer ! I'm sleeping well, not sweating, feeling calmer and with a clearer head. I do understand that you will want to consider all options but I just wanted to let you know about my experience.

one thing i found helpful was getting my thyroid levels ( free t4 and free t3) back up to 75-80 percent of range. i have autoimmune thyroid disease but i think a lot of women could do with looking in to their thyroid health especially when hormones are fluctuating

i’m possibly in peri menopause ( 40 and starting to see changes in mood weight etc, also private bloods showed oestrogen falling) but since getting my thyroid levels back up my sleep is dramatically better. i also take ignennus magnesium complex daily at night and use magnesium body gel too which have helped

Thanks for further replies TheDogsMother I appreciate where you are coming from there is so much information and people all have an opinion

Not fully trusting the GP tbh as she has been supportive

Been offered an appointment with Newson Clinic but not getting entirely positive vibes there either

*bungaboo unfortunately not taking anything but flushed seem to have decreased at the moment

@TheDogsMother

In my late 40s/early 50s I was experiencing symptoms but they were manageable. I wasn't sure about HRT as there were mixed messages about it a few years ago. Over the last couple of years though (I'm now late 50s) I've had terrible sweats/night sweats, dryness, terrible sleep and brain fog. Following the Davina programme, reading up for myself the recent research on risks and speaking with friends I finally asked the GP for HRT. Three months in and what a game changer ! I'm sleeping well, not sweating, feeling calmer and with a clearer head. I do understand that you will want to consider all options but I just wanted to let you know about my experience.

Thank you for that @TheDogsMother - really interesting contribution.

I am late 40s and have started on oestrogel and feel a tiny bit of a fraud as I had lots of peri symptoms, none of them nice, but nothing really hellish, either. The HRT definitely helps but I do keep wondering if I should have done it given I wasn't in this horror show other women describe before they finally find HRT.

Your post makes me feel a bit more justified in what I'm doing!