Peri and menopause - how are we all doing? Chat thread.

[Slavica]

I keep reading the threads in the menopause topic and think we might profit from a general chat thread. A lot of the questions get asked, in different ways, in separate threads - maybe it would be useful to have a general chat thread?

I am 48, in perimenopause, started taking 200mg utrogestan this cycle. My symptoms are mood swings, low mood, hot flashes and night sweats - but the latter two don't really bother me, it's the mood and lack of motivation that really concern me. Currently on cd35 (my cycles have been 21-24 days during the last three years), I guess maybe I'm missing my first ever period.

Anyone else getting a lot of skin tags? My mother's family all have them, I had some since pregnancy, but now I am developing a lot of them (including the really tiny annoying ones). I might be turning into a hag, for some reason the skin tags really, really bug me even though I've never been much into looks.

How are you doing? Stable? Still looking for a solution? Please share.

Hi all , I'm just going into my second year of HRT and I feel much better for it . It definatly stopped the main symptoms I was suffering with , not sleeping , constant sweating (not even hot flashes) it just didn't stop oh and trying to kill my DH🤭. They have all stopped . I do have a few aches and pains but I stepped up my workouts and I do yoga morning & night increased water intake. I have mirena coil instead of Utrogestan now and seem to get a headache once a month regular now but it's better than using Utrogestan vaginally so I'll live with it. I get a little bit down every now and then but the most annoying thing for me is the weight gain around the middle just can't shift it . I'm only 5'3 so it really notices. I always wanted to be a bit taller not bloody wider🤣

That's brilliant, hope it helps you x

Thanks, fingers crossed 🤞🤞

Does anyone else struggle with their periods now on HRT? Mine are horrendous. Painful yesterday, now today just flooding and clotty. (Sorry tmi)

Felt absolutely awful on Utrogestan and patches of varying doses so eventually got a Mirena when I had a hysteroscopy with GA.
Feeling much better now.
Hot flushes and aching went away immediately on a low dose patch but moods got worse and worse and I had so much breakthrough bleeding I felt hypervigilant around that and whether it was sinister or not.
So I'm sort of on an even keel I suppose? I need blood tests for my next appointment in December so will see if I'm absorbing the oestrogen and the doctor may switch me to gel. If she keeps me on the current regimen I hope she'll consider adding in testosterone.

Hi All

I'm in desperate need, I started perimenopause about 10 yrs ago, I started on hrt and it worked. I came off it after 8 months and have felt great...4 months ago it has started again with a vengeance (I'm in menopause now) started the hrt they are not working I'm tired constantly, have tingling sensation and palpitations that cause anxiety and panic attacks. I'm terrified of being on my own in the house out of the house. Dread us a big thing.
I'm on 40mgs citalopram it helped at the start but symptoms seem to get worse😥
I wish I could talk to some people that are going through the same thing. I have a lot of support around me it's just not the same as they don't know what I'm going through
Any advice is appreciated 🙂

I feel pretty awful too. Feel like I am going mad. Constant dark intrusive thoughts. Pain across my chest. Feelings of being overwhelmed with anything and everything.

I am in HRT, sertraline, propranolol but still feel the same.

Waiting for blood results from the GP

Lots of people have recommended exercise but I have neither the energy or motivation.

No answers or help I am afraid

@thenewaveragebear1983 this is why I have stayed on the pill. And they have said I can u til I’m 55. They were bad before the pill so not inclined to tempt fate by coming off.

@lorisparkle have you had your thyroid tested? I have an underactive thyroid and the more I read about it, the more I see crossover with perimenopause symptoms.
I had terrible anxiety, I felt like I was just bubbling over with it, I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t rest, I was having the most awful intrusive thoughts and dark health anxiety. After 2 months on HRT this has gone, almost entirely. Not just the anxiety attacks’ but the ongoing simmering anxiety that I had all the time.

interestingly, I was having palpitations and heart flutters and breathlessness. I felt like I was dying, genuinely. I developed a rib pain and spoke to a chiropractor and she has basically tapped my wonky rib cage back into place and adjusted my diaphragm and woah! No more palpitations, no more breathing issues, no more chest pains. It’s incredible. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in a year and as a result my anxiety is reduced so much. I suppose what I’m saying is there could be other causes, I never thought that my physical skeleton could be exacerbating my anxiety type symptoms.

"Lots of people have recommended exercise but I have neither the energy or motivation."

@lorisparkle , I can't face exercise either. But I have started walking (to and from work, it's a luxury that I am able to do that) and it makes me feel better. I walk pretty slowly, yet just being outside helps. When it rains, I walk with my umbrella, in a rain jacket and rain boots.
If you can face a bit of walking and have 15 minutes a day, I would recommend it. No changing clothes required.

It appears being peri is now mimicking my post natal period. My mood has improved but now my hair has gone to shit. I remember this happening after the birth of both children. And I’m still bleeding 9 weeks after my coil fit. Can’t work out if I just need to let it settle or if I need more oestrogen. Can’t see GP for 2 weeks either as she’s on leave.

Hey can I join?

I started a thread a few days ago about sudden bouts of crippling anxiety that come and go.

We got on the discussion about peri.

Issue for me is I have no uterus or cervix but do have ovaries so can't use periods to judge! I'm 43.

It's interesting lots of talk of itching. Just before my bouts of anxiety I often get a few days where it feels like something is spreading across my stomach that's itchy. It's a weird itch.

I've also had an increase in skin tags.

My FSH was normal back in May so no action. But I really think HRT would help. Any advice on what I should be asking for?

Ovestin cream. It’s like a miracle. Plus it helps if you want to try bladder training as it strengthens the bladder through application to the vaginal wall x

Yes it's the intrusive thoughts, overwhelming feelings I have. So scared being on my own. I have even hads thoughts of smashing my car into a wall for it to go away. I tried CBT with a private care that is run through my work. She was rude kept saying how can CBT benefit me, I can't be on hrt if I'm still having periods and we all suffer with anxiety and we can't make it go away. Omg I had to put the phone down I was in absolute shock and in bits couldn't stop crying. Been reported now and investigated.

Whilst it is awful to think about others having the intrusive thoughts and feelings of being overwhelmed it is also reassuring. It helps me feel that I am not going completely mad.

I have all my blood tests back and whilst it all says normal my oestrogen levels are not at the level that the Balance App says I should be at. I haven't spoken to GP yet so it will be interesting what she says.

If you take testosterone how does that help? Is it worth requesting?

I have a merina coil it's the only thing I can have, I'm on lifelong warfarin so gynaecologist has only put me on a low dose of estridot patch. I will try patches again and persevere with it for a couple of months then will have to go back to GP and see the next step if don't work 🤞
I agree it nice that other people have same experience as me. I've only met people that has hot flashes and aches only. I wish that was all I had, I know people that don't like it but after what some of us go through I would rather have that or be in physical pain instead of having dark thoughts and anxiety that goes through the roof.

What are your levels?

Both my sister & my cousin don’t absorb transdermal oestrogen. Both were on patches/gel for over a year before they found out.

My cousins estraidol result was 100, I can’t remember what my sisters was. Both were told they needed their oestrogen sorted before anything else.

So my levels are 220pmol but the balance app says that they should be above 250 and some women need higher. I am on 3 pumps.

Yes, Gp told her they should be over 250, but they like them 300-350 really.

That sounds like an awful experience @Mazzy74 I'm glad to hear you reported and they're being investigated

I have had anxiety my whole adult life, medicated for a long time (low dose SSRI), so this is nothing new for me. However, what has changed is lack of positivity, drive to do anything at all. And combined with memory issues, I was really worried I was becoming a shell of a person.
Lately it's been better, perhaps due to progesterone, perhaps due to the random nature of peri symptoms, anyway. It's hard to know.

But if you're having anxiety and intrusive thoughts - and I know all about those and how horrible, awful life with them can be - do try to get your HRT adjusted and perhaps consider medication on top. Whatever you do, don't try to deal with this alone, do see someone, as mental issues that are not addressed affect you and everyone around you.

48 and perimenopausal here. I’ve previously commented about my unhappy experience on Evorel sequi (50) and feeling totally bloated and uncomfortable - the progesterone just not agreeing with me. Just over a month ago, I gave up hrt cold turkey.

To my surprise, I didn’t have a withdrawal bleed as I was expecting, but period at usual time.
I’m so glad I’m off it - felt near suicidal on the progesterone part of the cycle.

Ive had an online consultation with the Newson Clinic which I found to be spectacularly unhelpful : their only other suggestion was to take anti depressants (despite me saying I’m not depressed)

Im taking lots of vitamin b tablets and feel far more energetic. We shall see.

@Needathickskin there are different regimes of HRT for you to try, what progesterone did you have? Was it the combined patch or separate progesterone There are different ones to try? Also I felt boated for the first month then it went away.

Hi all. Fellow sufferer here. I've been on mirena coil and HRT patch for nearly 4 years; both have helped enormously but needed extra progesterone last year because of break through bleeding. I've always suffered anxiety which got worse during early peri stage but HRT fortunately seems to have sorted that out. Weight gain = horrendous. No urge or motivation to do anything but have forced myself into a new gym membership which I am using but not feeling any better for the exercise.

On a real downside, I find I get very stressed, very easily. And I mean zero to tearing hair out within 0.5 seconds! Admittedly my DM is having awful health issues atm and she is suffering badly and it's been an awful worrying and stressful time for me and my DF for the last 2 years. but she is also fabulous at being a martyr and making me feel guilty - i.e. I work every day till around 2.30pm and I give up 2 afternoons a week plus Saturday mornings (have done this for 2 years) to go and spend time with her/DF and when it's time for me to go i.e. go home to cook my dinner/be there for DH/some 'me' time, she'll say 'are you leaving me already; you've only just got here! Surely you can stay longer?!' when I've been there for 2 hours purely for her attention?! - she makes me feel so guilty about leaving to live my life!

If something happens (like it did yesterday with DS), I over analyse the conversation and worry about what to say so I don't upset him. Ended up going to bed with palpitations and not being able to sleep properly all night. I really let things fester and it's ALL consuming until I can get things sorted out. I annoy myself and just think 'let it go; it doesn't really matter' but it's SO hard! Any tips to help with this would be great!

On the plus side, to help with joint aches I started taking liquid collagen back in June and I am just starting to feel the benefits! Long car journey yesterday and managed to get out of the car without any drastic sound effects and no aches/pains as I normally would so that's a win for me!

Hi everyone.
I've had what feels like the longest peri menopause in history!
I had very long and clotty periods from about age 42 onwards, investigations for fibroids didn't show anything, it was decided it was to do with hormonal changes. At 52 I started to get hot flushes, low mood, a lot of anxiety, aching very dry hair, dry bag, no libido etc. Went on to combined HRT (femoston) which didn't suit me. I had a stint with Estradot, utrogestan and vagifem for 18 months.

It's unclear whether I've finished my periods, as I've also had various incidents of bleeding attributed to cervical erosion. I had investigations last year and in the summer this year for postmenopausal bleeding, everything came back as normal. In September I had what felt like a "proper" period, including PMT.

Last year I had what was described as my "last" mirena coil removed, I'd no longer need it due to age. But last week I was told by my GP to start using contraception again...at the tender age of 56!

I've found it very difficult to get a definite answer about whether I have gone through the menopause. My current GP seems slightly more interested than my previous one, but generally it's been met with a shrug and an offering of antidepressants. Once the HRT has left my system I'm hoping for a blood test to give me the answer. The occasional bleeds may have been periods or cervical erosion, but either way it sounds like I'm not done yet.