I am not having a happy menopause! Any tips?

[CharlotteOwlFace]

I'm 51 and I suppose I've been lucky up until now. Symptoms only really been problematic for a few months and I don't have hot flushes so that's something else to be thankful for

But I've got myself in a vicious circle. My sleep isn't good. I can wake every hour or so. This then has the knock in effect of me being sluggish in the day - so I turn to sweets and crisps etc. this then gives me heartburn and makes me feel worse. I have a kitchen full of fruit and salad and veg and nuts and grains etc - and I'm eating Percy pigs by the handful which I don't even like much

I'm a member of a very expensive spa. I'm literally paying for nothing - because I don't do my daily swim any more - can't be bothered although I used to enjoy it a few months back!

Can't be bothered to go for a walk because I'm tired

Started HRT last week. Now worried I'll just get fat and be progesterone intolerant or something and I also never wanted to take HRT really but here we are

Anyway now I've had a good moan - any tips for me please? Is breaking this cycle really just a case of trying to overcome what feels like a huge mental block?

GPs will not prescribe melatonin to anyone under 60. Indeed, one of the GPs I saw admitted to buying it online for himself.

PS. Menopause is the part when your period has stopped for at least an entire year. (Or if you're under fifty, two whole years). Perimenopuase is the time leading up to it, anything from one year to a decade, when things go awry and you start to experience any number of these symptoms.

Are you still bleeding? If I remember correctly if you've had no periods for a year you take progesterone every night. When I started hrt I was just on the cusp of a year and that was how the menopause clinic doctor explained it to me.

You could do worse than the occasional ice cream, it's fatty and satisfying. But the pigs will have to go 🐖🐖🐖

I picked up some melatonin tablets in my local pharmacy, no need for GP to prescribe.

Anyone else on testosterone? What dose?

I'm 60 and have been menopausal for 10 years. I use Estradot (when I can get them...) 50mg but no progesterone (coil in situ). My main symptoms have been hot flushes, which tge HRT has helped with enormously; sleep issues, but probably the worst is a complete lack of interest in anything. Zero get up and go. No motivation.

I am wondering in testosterone might help? Or is my oestrogen dose too low?

As per most of us, my HRT is GP lead and 'one size fits all'....

@Runaround50, I’m on an estrogen spray (Lenzetto, 2x pumps every morning) and progesterone tablets (Utrogestan, 2 pills every evening. Two weeks on, two weeks off).

I’ve always had a sweet tooth but it’s got more extreme lately!

Persevere with HRT
Get your Testosterone levels checked ( if uneducated your gp will say it's normal. It isn't )
Excellent FB group called HRT Collective. No nonsense no scare mongering advice
Menopausal Not Mad website
I had private consultations to get me on track. Worth every penny

@waterlego thanks. I have lenzetto to try. 2 sprays is quite a low dose isn't it? Do you feel well on it? I was on a 75 patch but getting fed up of the marks they leave and skin irritation.

@crispinglovershighkick yep, still have regular periods

Well I say that! I was due on 17 days ago and it didn't arrive so who knows right now!

@Fordian I did look at testosterone too but I don't think I want it. A bit nervous about developing male pattern hair loss which can be a thing on it and also reports of many people just not feeling a great benefit

But like everything, It would be nice to have it as an accessible avenue to explore

@Carlycat thanks for that advice. I'm definitely going to pay for a private consultation.

I think I just want to be heard tbh! Just half an hour or so would do. I need the reassurance that I'm on the correct dose for me and that I'm on the best treatment

You can read all you like and look at Instagram accounts etc but sometimes nothing replaces someone actually not applying the 'one hat fits everyone' thing to you

Diet and exercise and a hollow laugh from me op. I'm 62 now. What really helped me aged about 50 was paying to see a gynaecologist who ripped up what the GP was prescribing and prescribed a combination of tablets and patches. I can't remember the make or dose but he said the overall dose was lower and something provided when better needed. It made a huge difference. GPs I think orescribe what's easiest and cheapest and are pretty ignorant about the menopause. One lady GP told me I'd cope better with it when I stopped working as was inevitable in my 50s!!

Also last coffee at 1pm, cut out alcohol and now I'm off HRT - 10mg of amitryptiline works wonders.

@Runaround50, I am feeling significantly better on it, but I went from nothing to this. If you are moving over from another product/method of delivery, you might need more I guess. My prescription originally said one spray a day but my nurse practitioner friend said I could use two.

@RosesAndHellebores that sounds like you've got a handle on it now - and yep, my ideal would be no HRT tbh. I don't want to take it and always said I'd go through the menopause naturally when it came

I laugh and laugh and laugh at that bollocks now. I truly believed it too!

I'm taking two pumps of the gel and the 12-14 days of utrogestan. I'm taking that because I understand it to be the 'gold standard' and what you'd be prescribed if you went to say, the Newson clinic.

But the 12-14 days of utrogestan confused me. I mean, what is it? 12 days or 14 days? My doctor said 'well either really'

So that made me feel confident

Started HRT last week.

Give it time, you mention a private menopause clinic, would absolutely 100% recommend if that's something you are able to do. Get some proper blood tests done, and give yourself the best chance. Mine tweaked up the estradiol dose I'd been prescribed by the GP and added in testosterone which worked fairly quickly, and I won't say that I feel 35 again, but I feel a damn sight better than I did.

Sleep is good, crying spells gone, unexplained 4am fear gone, nightsweats are gone, anxiety is much much more manageable, brain fog is hugely better, you would prize it out of my cold dead hands now!

I also predicted HRT would be a rollercoaster of nonsense, but it has honestly been absolutely life changing. Hang in there.

The dosage of testosterone is minuscule and won't cause male pattern hair loss or any hair loss (or hair gain for that matter).

Many NHS GPs do not prescribe testosterone which is unfortunate, because for many women, their testosterone levels are also in decline. By not topping up testosterone, it means that hormones levels are not balance and many on HRT are still suffering with symptoms. It is worth considering that for many, testosterone is the magic bullet which puts the spring back in one's step and their world back into focus.

If you can, pay to see a specialist who will actually listen to you and adjust the HRT to suit you and your needs.

Was on my knees with insomnia when I started HRT, and I was sleeping better within a few days.

It takes a while for your sleep to normalise though. You can’t catch up on months of bad sleep in one week. I have oestrogen in the morning and progesterone at night. I also take melatonin before bed. I was gaining weight before starting HRT because I was fighting fatigue with food and becoming less active. Now I’ve got the hormones I have more energy and I haven’t gained any more weight, though I haven’t lost any either.

I consulted a nutritionist who advised to eat plenty protein, calcium rich foods and leafy veg, and to avoid processed foods. Also to weight train and prevent muscle loss.