How long does it go no for??.

[Runaround50]

Well, menopause symptoms started in January 2019 and we are now in May 2022. I have been unable to reach a therapeutic dose of HRT and I really feel like my brain is closing down!

Life feels too much. My 14 year old teen is driving me mad. He's messy, loud , blames me for everything, getting into trouble at school etc etc.

DD ( nearly 18) is grouchy, mock A levels, busy with part time job, friends etc etc.

Sick of cleaning, cooking, washing, the garden, working.
Have lost all motivation in life basically!

My brain doesn't work . Nothing is taken in, I hear the words, that's it!
Sleep is broken, body feels dry and achy and only 51.

I've tried gel and utrogestan, which was a disaster in that it made me feel wired and jittery. Patches make me bleed. Femeston wasn't enough Oestrogen and bladder went awol!

Due a Mirena coil fitting in two weeks and am dreading feeling worse or bleeding continuously whilst it ' settles'. Just sick of trying to feel some kind of normality. In either bleeding, irritable, tired or all three.

Kind of wish I'd never touched HRT now, as I haven't found balance in over three years and am sick of trying to strike the right combination.

Life just feels hard and it's over!

The title should read ' How long does it go ON for' ?

That sounds really rubbish. I know lots of people have good results with the mirena, yes it needs to settle but after that most women don't have monthly bleeds. There are other non HRT treatments that you could discuss with your GP if the mirena is not successful.

I don't know lots about the non HRT treatments but the aim is to control the symptoms, I think things like clonadine and gabapentin they can have unpleasant side effects also. Hope you get some relief soon.

No idea but I hear you. I gave up on medical help as everything made me feel worse. As in the original symptoms had slightly lessened but it added other problems eg constipation, wind, cramping, nausea, etc. Figured the original ones were better than the combined (and having the "pleasure" of paying for it).

Brain fog will slowly get better but takes years.
Anger turns into f u, to cant be bothered
Body aches also slowly improve but maybe thats bc I'm taking vit d regularly now.

Lack of sleep is a begger though. I still get phases of hot flushes during the day, and phases of night sweats. But they are bearable in comparison to taking the hrt symptoms. I'm 5 years into menopause. Apparently some women never stop having menopausal symptoms so I figure this is going to be my life now.

Thanks, it's such a tough time of life and seems never ending.

It's sunny today and I've managed to do the food shopping, sort the laundry and do some jobs round the house and garden. That something I suppose!

No day ever seems to be the same. I could really do with some stability and continuity with these hormones.

Really hoping that coil works, as doubling up on the utrogestan ( as recommended) last night, wiped me out. That isn't sustainable when trying to work.

I would try non hormonal products, but my bladder seems to need both local and systemic Oestrogen to stay calm. The minute I drop down on the systemic, the bladder goes crazy and atrophy sets in, which is utterly miserable and again unsustainable when at work.

Sorry to moan, just feeling sorry for myself.

I know how you feel @Runaround50 , I felt the same at your age .
I also found HRT helped at first but the good effects were short lived and negative side effects soon built up.
No doubt an alert has gone out and a poster will be along to tell uou that you aren’t trying hard enough with HRT!

Its your choice .

My experience was that the peri stage was the worst . But once I’d got to menopause proper I felt much better . Calm and clear headed . Actually probably too clear headed - it’s like I was in a fog before and now I see the matrix lol

I’m similar to @Novella4 in that peri was awful (seemed to start early and go on for ages!) but now that all over and I’m fine. Stiff and overweight, but generally fine (have never gone down the HRT route but am assiduous with supplements)

When I realised my brain fog had improved, it was a revelation! I’m so much more on the ball now

This is why I don’t want to go down the HRT route, I see many women on here saying that they have to up the dose as it initially worked, but now it’s not.
I don’t get hot flushes and I generally sleep, so I think I’ll leave it alone and put up with what I’ve got so far.
We could do with staring a club for women of our age, somewhere to have a rant and eat chocolate/drink wine. I’m up for it !

Actually that’s a good point re the brain fog. For many that’s a feature of peri - and it goes .