Newbie questions

[Pinkandpurplehairedlady]

I hope you don’t mind me posting but I’m getting myself more and more confused…..

I’ve had really bad brain fog for the last month to the point where I’m struggling to work and look after my children. My blood tests have come back normal except for folate which is a bit low so I have to take supplements. The GP thinks it could be the start of menopause and has made me an appointment for next week to discuss HRT.

Does this should right? I’m 44 and my periods have dropped off over the last 6 months and gotten lighter but I don’t think I have any other symptoms except brain fog? I do get hot spells sometimes but nothing too bad and they don’t wake me up at night.

What should I expect next week? From reading the posts on here there seems to be lots of different HRT’s - what are the differences and what should I be asking for?

Please help a newbie out!

Sounds right and lucky to have a doctor that's on the ball

Yes absolutely right and we'll done Gp! It's normal for women between 45 and 54 to completely stop their periods so at 45 you're likely to do so within a few years; they give hrt without tests.

I started hrt at 44. Physical Symptoms were crippling and the brain fog had progressed to issues with vocabulary. I felt really thick.

Periods became v light too. It's actually got worse whilst on hrt (but covid infection too) and I've had to go up higher each review.

I would definitely consider starting sooner rather than waiting till later. I had a couple of years of feeling hot at night before hot flushes started, just before I started hrt. It was the joint aches that were the worst!

The choices are: transdermal oestrogen, patches, gel or spray

Progesterone, mirena, utrogestan tablets (can also be take vaginally) or a combo patch that has progesterone and oestrogen in it.

The transdermal oestrogen is body identical and the utrogestan is also, both made from yams or Soy

Great advice you've received so far. Yep, transdermal is the gold standard for oestrogen. So patches, gels and sprays. Micronised progesterone in capsule form (or you can use mirena coil but I'd rather not have anyone more fiddling around in that area!)

You can also get pesseries gels and creams for the vaginal/vulval area if you are suffering from dryness, pain, urinary symptoms. They are as well as, not instead of the other types of HRT.

You can also get pesseries gels and creams for the vaginal/vulval area if you are suffering from dryness, pain, urinary symptoms. They are as well as, not instead of the other types of HRT.

Yes k would do this from the start; I didn't and as I needed more / went further into meno, things down there got worse and I needed the cream while the hrt raise kicked in.