Advice needed - asking for HRT at 40

[DoubleDinnurs]

I'm going to my GP tomorrow and want to ask for HRT. I've felt terrible for ages since the birth of my child a couple of years ago. Looking at perimenopause symptoms I realise I pretty much ticked all the boxes apart from night sweats, hot flushes and my cycle changing length, although my periods are now heavier. I am a bit less tolerant to heat, but they don't feel like how people describe as a hot flush, more of a need to fling a door open or take off a layer of clothing.

I'm pretty desperate at the moment. I feel down for one half of my cycle, which results in feeling suicidal in the last few days of my cycle - i'm actually looking up how to do this. After my period this goes, but it worries me due to having kids. At the time I feel they are better off without me. I generally feel a bit flat, but it's unbearable then.

I'm really worried about being offered anti-d's instead. I can feel pretty good during the second week of the month. It just goes downhill for a couple of weeks after that. I'm struggling to function. How do I convince the GP to prescribe HRT instead of anti-ds at my age? Anti-Ds won't solve some of my physical symptoms either and will probably make these symptoms worse.

I already exercise and eat fairly well. I try to Minimise alcohol too. Not sure what else I can do.

@TheMindfulMum @Babasghost I'm sorry that some people feel the need to be rude and patronising. I hope you can ignore them, lots of good advice on here otherwise. Please do let us know how you get on.

Sorry also meant@DoubleDinnurs

@ArcticSkewer your posts are unhelpful and uneducated. I wish you’d stop. You’re obsessed with the thyroid but don’t really know what you’re on about!

@TheMindfulMum sorry if I'm repeating myself but please do look at your test results yourself. Your ferritin level (iron stores) won't be flagged unless they are below 12 but that is very far from optimal and you can be symptomatic under 50. If you do have lower iron reserves then it will take a few months to start seeing the results of supplementation. Hang in there x

Test results tomorrow for me. Feeling very meh about them. Need to write a list before my appt with everything I am experiencing. I'm on at the moment and feel particular spaced out which I suppose could be linked to low iron.
Am I okay to ask for a copy of the results to take away with me? Will they be on screen and my doctor should be able to print them out if I asked her?

Yes definitely.

Can I hijack the thread? I'm 3 months off being 45 and went to GP with pelvic floor issues and for estrogen vaginal cream as suggested by physio. GP was lovely, asked questions and suggested HRT but wanted bloods first.

Peri symptoms are:

Feel vertigo for a couple of seconds very regularly
Dry eyes (optician told me I hadn't realised)
Urinary incontinence and poss mild bowel prolapse
Terrible mood swings after I've ovulated and crying (way worse than PMT when I was younger) I mean 'divorce DH/leave the family and flee' type moods though they often lift in a day to return another day
Exhausted a lot of the time
Hot and sweaty before my period at night waking up damp
Headaches before period which I never had before
Injuring myself in tendons-. Achilles, hand
Periods gone off schedule from 28 to 35 to 21 (always 28)
Breasts were always sore with PMT but now so sore after ovulation they hurt in a high impact sports bra when I walk
Loads of hair loss

Bloods were taken as I'm not 45 yet and are all 'normal'

TSH 0.86
Iron is 16
FSH 1.7 was taken the day I started spotting before the period started with gusto the next morning, period was not expected that day, was day 20 since last period.

GP seems super supportive and in 3 months I wouldn't have the bloods I'd just have HRT offered. But what would you think to these symptoms versus these results? Can I have low iron And peri menopause?

I am seeing GP in fortnight earliest appointment but would you go for HRT or hang on?

I am fully aware of my rights and the benefits of it.

Thanks to anyone who replies!

*what I mean is I know the benefits and so I'm totally open minded about taking it if it's right for me 😊

@Dogsgottabone just nipping on quickly to say please do get your iron levels sorted. You will feel better if you can get your ferritin levels up. Floradix is great for absorption. Your symptoms sound like mine. I am on HRT now (gel plus utrogestan) but I still obviously get fluctuations. So I'm contemplating asking for the mini pill and staying on the HRT, keeping the gel at 1-2 squirts OR maybe asking for the COC pill. I'm thinking the COC might help me ride out these fluctuations for a year or two and then I would go back to plain old HRT or HRT and mini pill.

@BatsAtHome thanks for the advice. I'm a bit shocked actually. Until my period started this week I had no sense of feeling unusual tiredness. I'm the girl that does 10k steps before work and swims and runs and does hiit. But this week I've felt like I've been run over by a truck.

I don't know why my iron is so low. I eat a really good diet and exercise and I'm a normal weight. Perhaps because my periods have got heavier?

I had two Steroid injections a few weeks ago which gave me terrible indigestion for a week. Could that have caused the low iron?

Dreading taking iron supplements. I last had it after I had DD 15yrs ago and felt awful taking it.

I tried menopace twice and got an awful stomach, I don't think I'm receptive to extra vitamins.

But I will take your advice and head off for some floradix tomorrow. I've seen it recommended on here a few times so will try to approach it with an open mind.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. 😊

@DoubleDinnurs
Can I ask how you're getting on? I've got my third appt tomorrow and still no further and mentally and physically feel so much worse than 6 months ago. Just wondered if you've noticed any improvement?

I went to the GP for the first time today for peri menopause symptoms. I’m only 37 and have been treated for PMDD with Yasmin and buspirone for the past 4 years, however have noticed an escalation in symptoms along with heavier periods, loss of libido and poor memory/fog. I was not very impressed with the GP insisting he would only discuss the “period or mental health” with me, but he has ordered tests for thyroid, iron etc. and a pelvic ultrasound. There is a well regarded private specialist menopause nurse local to me who I would rather speak to if the bloods come back inconclusive, I’m not adverse to anti-d but I want some kind of plan/monitoring. My mum and grandmother were both in their late 30’s and both looked old before their time, I’d prefer to get on top of this early.

My third visit today and I finally felt listened too. I've been on the pill to control heavy bleeding, was offered anti-ds on my previous two visits but I refused as my gut was telling me my low mood, anxiety, bleakness wasn't depression but very much hormone driven. I too have the fog, forgetfulness and a host of other physical symptoms which can be attribute to peri. Went today and said yes the bleeding is more manageable but everything else still feels totally out of my control. If you don't feel listened to and have an alternative to try then I'd say go for it. Dealing with peri symptoms is bad enough but dealing with them and being made to feel you're making stuff up or it's no big deal is so detrimental to an already very difficult and uncertain time.

Hi. Is anyone taking progesterone only (utrogestan) for their perimenopause symptoms? I'm 42 and was found to be estrogen dominant after taking estrogen so I had to stop that but stopping the utrogestan has really affected my sleep and mood. Anyone here in / has been in the same situation? Thanks

Low thyroid symptoms are very similar to perimeno , as are a few other things. Hopefully your GP has ruled these out.

Thanks for that. It hasn't come up in bloods but I'm getting more blood tests next week.

@MomsRus how did you know you were 'estrogen dominant'? You sadly won't get prescribed just utrogestan here in the UK - not for perimenopause anyway. I think it's used alone in the reproductive years for a progesterone deficiency. It's really common for peri women to be low in progesterone with fluctuating estrogen. The low progesterone needs addressing but you might still suffer with the hideous highs and lows of estrogen. I also enjoy the utrogestan part of the regime and have hugely improved skin and sleep when taking it. I still suffered with the roller-coaster though so I'm about to switch to Qlaira to see if I can suppress the whole cycle.

This is an excellent post.

I had a second lot of bloods taken last week, I go back for the results next week. They were taken at a different point in my cycle (by chance not deliberate) and there was a 6 month gap between the blood samples (not sure if that makes a difference and makes them unrelated/incomparable?)

I've been offered HRT (after a 6 month battle) I'm anticipating the GP saying the bloods are "within the realm of normal". What that meant last time (as per bloods 6 month a ago) was they were on bottom line (14 which I think is the lowest level beginning the "norma" range enjxh does him to 40 something) but technically by the book is still in the "normal" range. I didn't agree, personally. Heavy periods have subsided so I'm hoping the iron levels might be better. What do others take as an iron supplement? I was prescribe the one which really didn't agree with me. One tablet a day and it had an impact. I tried Feroglobin in pregnancy which seemed better so might try that again.

This is an old thread. I am deliberately bumping a ZOMBIE thread.

I like updates (OP said she would...)

@DoubleDinnurs, how are you feeling now? Do you think the HRT helped, or did something else seem to help?