Anyone else in full Menopause and not on HRT?

[FamilyPhoto]

Im 51, was being monitored as was peri this time last year when I saw my gynaecologist, back this week and blood test show im now in full Menopause.
Main symptoms are hot flushes, wooly brain at times and headache/ migraines.
On the appointment my Merina coil was removed ( had been in 9 years)
I dont live in the UK and they are not going to offer HRT because of my history of migraines. Instead Ive been out on a supplement with melatonin.
Anyone else not taking/ able to take HRT ?

This (though a bit longer ago than 3 years).

I'm 49 and post menopause for about 18yr.
Was not given HRT at the time as doctor thought I was too young.
Not looked into it since as I am symptom free.

Me. I'm 58 and my last period was around 14 months ago, so I am assuming (very much much hoping) that I am finally through the menopause.

My main problem during the years when I must have been in perimenopause was traumatic, prolonged heavy and flooding periods for which everything short of a hysterectomy was tried. Hysterectomy was to have been the next step but they just stopped, fortunately.

I've read up a fair bit on HRT and don't want to take it because I see that a common side effect is the return of some vaginal bleeding, which I do NOT want.

I do have a bit of brain fog but it is manageable. I take a menopause vitamin and mineral supplement and my diet does include a fair bit of calcium too.

Hello all. When my perimenopause ends and in menopause, this is a useful post I need for the future. I have been reading HRT good and bad, protection,but you get withdrawal bleeds, thicken of linings. Need more answers.
Thanks.

This is a cultural thing, southern European countries like Spain, Portugal and Italy have a VERY different cultural attitude towards menopause compared with the UK, Scandinavia, Netherlands.

When we were all struggling to get hold of patches here because of short supply, some women were getting cheap flights to Malaga to get their patches/gel as there were never any shortages in Spain as the % of women on HRT is so much lower. I do not believe for one second that as a whole population that Portuguese women have far fewer symptoms than Swedish women.

(Not a real doctor despite user name)

@Soupwithstring I have the same question as @Netcam re. vaginal atrophy. How do you know when it is happening? What are the symptoms?

I can only share what happened to me. I had constant discomfort and itch. I was dry and sex was painful. I had low level pain in my abdomen, sort of like mild period paid but I have had a hysterectomy so don't have periods. In the space of about 6 months, I had 4 UTIs.

Oestrogen cream twice a week has sorted all of that out. I did have to have a quick inspection of my nether regions by my GP, apparently it's fairly easy to spot if you know what you're looking for.

Yes, I am full meno and can't get it. I'm in Italy where they are pretty much against it unless you're really, really bad. I went private to try to get it, the list of tests to do before hand are as long as my arm and only then if there results are good they'll consider it, for example, I'd have to have perfect cholesterol levels.

I’m post menopausal and never had HRT , got the odd hot flush that’s all

I discovered that there is such a thing as a pelvic physio on mumsnet, so I went to see her when I started to leak a lot whilst I was running.

She looked at me and told me I had prolapses. She sent me to the GP for vaginal oestrogen.

GP looked at me and told me I was sin peri meno, offered me HRT and vaginal oestrogen and said i should consider surgery.

A long year later, two private gynae - I had posterior repair, perrioraphy and I now use vaginal oestrogen daily on instruction of gynae.

When I first realised things were going wrong I looked at my vulva in the mirror and the labia had gone kind of grey. They are now pink and healthy again.

I didn't experience dryness as such, but I did however have a lot of soreness, despite the twice a week application of estriol cream and I was in and out of the GP for steroid cream (made it worse)

My gynae told me I needed far more than a twice a week and I now use the cream liberally most days. I get four tubes on every repeat prescription.

I went through it without HRT, which was contraindicated for family medical history reasons. I had hot flashes and felt a bit brain foggy at times. Took care to walk every day, cut out sugar as much as I possibly could, and drank lots of water daily. Feeling fine now, out the other end.

@Topseyt123 , one of the main reasons I don’t want hrt , is the thought of bleeding again . I ended up with really low iron last year , due to heavy periods and I don’t want that again.

I came off it, palpitations & low mood returned and my hair got thinner so back on it. It keeps me sane. Feel so grateful for it.

I'm m not in full menopause as I still have more or less monthly periods but I am 53 now and don't take HRT

No idea why not? I always keep meaning to and then I get slightly put off and don't. I've lost weight so I'm normal weight and I try and keep myself a bit fitter and I eat properly and nutritiously as much as possible

The above seemed to lessen the stiffness I was experiencing and that's really about my only symptom so I'd really be taking HRT preventatively at this point

There's quite bit of misunderstanding on this thread @Toomanysquishmallows and a few other women have mentioned bleeding with HRT.

If your periods have stopped or almost when you start HRT you don't get periods /bleeding again. The type of HRT for post meno is bleed-free. There may be some light spotting during the settling in stage.

It's worth mentioning for @FamilyPhoto that 15% of women have no meno symptoms and don't need any treatment. (Like the ones posting here.)
The rest do and a third of those have severe symptoms, some for many years.

Everyone has to make their own choices. Goes without saying that a healthy lifestyle counts for a lot and is enough for a small percentage of women but others have tried absolutely everything, before HRT.

Maybe, but bleeding seems to be in all of the side effects lists that I have ever read, and I have read a lot. I'm not sure I could trust that it couldn't/wouldn't happen and I am scarred by my years of heavy flooding, during which my periods were prolonged haemhorrages every two or three weeks.

I'd prefer to avoid HRT, though will speak to my GP if other symptoms become more troublesome.

I would say that my own perimenopause and menopause haven't been symptom free. Heavy flooding periods and a shortened or more erratic cycle ARE amongst the possible symptoms. Only since I have been post menopause over the last year and a bit can I say that I have been almost symptom free.

I would feel very suspicious of HRT so don't want it.

Were you never offered the Mirena coil? Or an ablation? There is no way you should have had to put up with flooding without proper treatment.

You may not know that the Mirena coil is also used as part of HRT (women just need estrogen alongside it) as it stops all bleeding.

Obviously it's entirely your choice what you do .

I held out against the mirena coil for a long time myself, but against my better judgement did eventually to it to try and reduce the bleeding. It didn't settle and had the complete opposite effect. The bleeding got even worse and went on every day for over a year! So it had to come out. That was a huge relief even though removal was delayed as Covid and lockdowns occurred.

Never again! Things were better without it, even though they were still bad. The last Consultant Gynaecologist I saw was at a different hospital to the one where it had been inserted. He did his own hysteroscopy and concluded that I never should have been given a mirena. I wasn't a suitable candidate for one due to the position of some fibroids and nobody had any idea why the first gynaecologist had not been able to see that (she also did a hysteroscopy).

I enquired about ablation but was told that because of the position of my fibroids it most probably wouldn't work. I had Zoladex injections to induce menopause but things still restarted a few months later. One of the fibroids was then removed and that helped again. A couple of months later periods stopped and this time haven't restarted. It feels more permanent now.

I am aware that the mirena is used in HRT, but my only experience of it was so dire that I will never consider it again for any reason at all.

I also definitely wasn't myself with a mirena in. Weight gain which I could ill afford (already a bit overweight), continuous PMT and a feeling of anxiety which I hadn't had before. All subsided soon after its removal.

Yes. 53 and two and a half years since period. Feel great. I’ve started to use vaginal oestrogen in last few months . Wasn’t a massive issue but wanted to stave off atrophy.

52 and post menopausal. I am not on HRT except for Ovestin for vaginal atrophy (which has helped loads).

A lot of my friends are on HRT and I keep wondering if I should try it but haven’t felt that my symptoms are bad enough. I did contact my GP due to feeling tired and asked about HRT and was told I would need a blood test first but as it was not urgent I would have to wait. I need to chase that up…..

Mainly my symptoms are occasional hot flushes, being hot at night, not sleeping well and feeling achey in the morning. I am doing weights for bone density and yoga for the stiffness.

Meditation and cutting right back on alcohol has helped a lot with the sleeping.

Weight gain is my main issue that I can’t seem to fix but I don’t think I can take HRT for that!

There are a lot of people who can’t take HRT for various reasons.

@Rainyblue try intermittent fasting. I’ve been doing it for 6 months, have lost 10lbs and any aches I had have gone. I do 18:6 by skipping breakfast and eating at 12pm and by 6pm. I also avoid UPFs, eat plenty of plants and fibre and lean protein plus good fats from nuts and avocado and olive oil.

There cannot be an HRT-free thread on the Menopause board. That is the rule.

@monkfruitmartini , sadly I agree with you , but it’s a real shame . I would love one .

I'd also appreciate an HRT free thread. I'd like to hear more about experiences of the menopause without HRT.