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Menopause

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Original poster

What's it like on the other side?

184 replies

crackofdoom · 03/02/2023 09:07

I've never seen this question asked, yet surely it's the most important one of all. What's it like once you've been through the menopause? Does it get better- ever?

I'm on HRT, but still get symptoms- the one which bothers me most is the tiredness, but also aching joints and weight gain. Is this the new normal, or can I look forward to a future in which I get my energy back?

OP posts:
JinglingSpringbells · 11/02/2023 08:22

Haffdonga · 10/02/2023 18:30

Thank you so so so much @JinglingSpringbells Flowers Flowers Flowers
(I'd give you a Friday Wine as well as flowers but, you know, BC risks and cutting down and all that).

These links are exactly what I needed and the Michael Baum video has answered exactly the quandary I've been angsting over all year, ( should I stop longer term HRT due to BC risks? ) and I nearly kissed the screen.

I had done my googling but as a non medic it's hard to filter and understand the bona fide peer-reviewed medical research from the quackery.

Thank you

You're very welcome @Haffdonga - thanks.
I remembered a link to something that is bang on what you want.

lizearlewellbeing.com/health/the-menopause/making-sense-of-hrt-nick-panay/

Nick Panay is a key researcher in the UK into menopause as well as an NHS and private gynae. He heads up the meno clinic at the Chelsea & Westminster hospital (for women with early menopause and more complex needs.)

This interview covers most of what you want to know and you will especially approve of the part where he discusses how his patients in their 80s and 90s would kill him if he stopped their hrt.

ancientgran · 11/02/2023 17:03

bigTillyMint · 06/02/2023 13:16

@ancientgran, that’s great that you feel your long covid is finishing - it sounds like a very difficult time.

Thank you, I am so relieved as I really can see normal life so close to me, I'm hoping next month I can say it is gone. Maybe I should have a party?

KattyKattyKatz · 11/02/2023 18:21

It feels like your head clears. It's like an epiphany. You start thinking more about what's best for you .

StartupRepair · 15/02/2023 02:12

Just got blood test results and for the first time since I was a teenager I have good levels of iren. Yay!

StartupRepair · 15/02/2023 02:13

Iron

Dyslexicwonder · 15/02/2023 06:23

KattyKattyKatz · 11/02/2023 18:21

It feels like your head clears. It's like an epiphany. You start thinking more about what's best for you .

I am 47 and starting to get glimpses of this, it sounds (ad feels) great. Like a liberation.

user1468655141 · 15/02/2023 12:43

im 57 and periods stopped just before i was 50 so im definately through the other side but the symptoms still persist. Ive been on and off HRT as i could not decide which had the worst side effects. The sweats were so bad i needed HRT but then once on it i felt bloated and uncomfrotable. i came off it but symptoms reappeared. i was put on lower dose which i still take but my body aches constantly and my mood is low all the time. i have no motivation and feel low. I feel as if i have to accept this is how it is now. In last two years i have broken my arm and my hip and a bone scan detected borderline osteoporosis. I feel like im in the body of an eighty year old ..im worn out with any amount of activity now. Ive put on one and half stone in weight which refuses to budge although ive been careful with my diet all my life. its affecting my quality of life to point where i dont have energy to even have my two grandchildren stay over. yet im not that old!! my body feels completely different to it did before menopause and i cant imagine it feeling way i did before ...ive lost my sex drive completely which is an issue at the moment and my husband has started calling me frigid. not helping!! most days i feel very depressed..its as if my life is over.sorry not the most positive response to question but my perspective

Rhondaa · 15/02/2023 14:33

@user1468655141 that sounds miserable but if you're back on hrt then at least take a dose that will be effective so up the dose until things improve. The bloating may well settle down these things often do.

What do you take, I presume its body identical transdermal stuff? Also as you've had fractures has your GP started you on meds for osteoporosis? Even if the dexa scan was borderline to have fractured a hip at your young age really needs a proactive approach.

I'm sorry you're feeling so low please go back to your gp maybe you need to add in antidepressants?

JinglingSpringbells · 15/02/2023 16:27

im 57 and periods stopped just before i was 50 so im definately through the other side but the symptoms still persist.

@user1468655141 You are 'on the other side' by having no periods, but as you say, you are having the same problems.

I'm sorry you have had fractures and feel low.
Have you got the actual scan results of your DEXA scan? That should show your bone density. If not, you should ask your GP for a copy and make sure you know what the score is, because that is the only way you can monitor your bones getting worse, or better. The more you know, the easier it is to change your lifestyle and take the necessary meds (maybe HRT) to stop your bones getting worse.

The T-score is the figure for your bones (on the DEXA scan) and if you have osteopenia is will be between -1 and -2.5.
Lower than -2.5 is osteoporosis.

I'm surprised you 'only' have osteopenia if you have broken a hip.
Are you sure it's not osteoporosis?
What treatment has been advised?

Can you say what type of HRT you tried?
You do need HRT for your bones and you need a certain dose. Not a low dose.

How did your HRT make you feel?

There are many different types and it's usually only a matter of trying a few types to get something that works and makes you feel good.

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