What symptom of meno really surprised you?

[menopausalfart]

I've had most symptoms associated with perimenopause, including some really nasty ones.
The symptom that surprised me the most was the memory loss. If I don't do something the moment it enters my brain, it's gone.
I've been taking HRT, vitamins, collagen, and I exercise regularly. This symptom, along with anxiety, has stubbornly persisted.

Why is the itchiness so bad at night?
Testosterone is meant to be helpful for weak orgasm I think.

Amazed if anyone is having great sex in peri or post menopause though.. the symptoms so far all point in the opposite direction.

I briefly had amazing sex in peri, after my prolapse was fixed. Testosterone and some new underwear did wonders. Sadly the repair failed so I'm back to avoiding it like the plague!

Lots of oestrogen cream, condoms and lube worked. Makes it very slidey.

@ffsfindmeausername The way I orgasm has definitely changed. I have multiple, now, to the point where it can become quite painful. The flip side to that is that my sex drive has all but disappeared, even though I take testosterone.

Does anyone have thinner pubic hair? Odd question, but I've found mine felt a bit thinner the other day.

yes and also armpit hair

I think my armpit hair is fluffier.

Itchiness is definitely worse at night. The other night I got pretty close to squirting some vagisil anti itch cream in my ears as it was so bad and stopping me sleeping 😂

@ffsfindmeausername i was told about my Nabothian cysts on my cervix by the doctor that did an internal check as I was having bleeding after/during sex. She said they are quite common and often come and go. They are just blocked glands in your cervix.

I was referred for a colonoscopy and everything was fine.

I was first told about those at my pre pill check aged around 19 (do they even do those now?) it got to be a regular conversation at smear time. The nurse would say you have bumps on your cervix, I would say yes nabothian cysts, nurse would say how do you know that and I would say a doctor told me. He also advised me to have feel around to keep a check on them and to get advice if any bump seemed to stay around longer than i thought it should.

Paranoia, lack of confidence and the not giving a fuck feeling all arrived simultaneously. So confusing.

My bladder takes ages to empty fully, am about to have my second US which I expect will show nothing just like the first one. Am taking vaginal oestrogen, Sandrena (with Mirena) and testosterone, none of that has helped. I suspect I need some kind of physio? Which I predict I’ll have to arrange and pay for myself.

I regularly unexpectedly substitute the wrong nouns in the middle of a sentence, annoying when I do it talking to DH but mortifying in public. Instead of saying I’ll put the bag in the car I might say I’ll put the dog in the car or I’ll put the bag in the hall or similar, it just comes out.

I was surprised by how ashamed I was of possibly being perceived as a dotty old woman and dismissed as such by total strangers. Ashamed to remember how often I’d dismissed older women myself.

I'm late 40s and never had a pre pill internal check. Just blood pressure check from what I remember.Are you in the UK as ive never heard of that here in UK. why would they have even needed to do that?. unless you had a dodgy pervy male doctor, there were a lot of them about years ago.

Hair loss and brain fog. Also can’t be arsed with anything these days 😞

I’m in the UK, and know of pre pill checks happening. Also it would be mentioned at any smear tests you’ve had. All my cervical/internal checks have been carried out by female doctors or nurses.

Are you worried about cysts? As I said they are common and harmless. I can’t even feel mine on my cervix.

Re vaginal atrophy I’ve read on other forums about the “plumping effect” of vaginal osteogen. I’m on Vagifem & not noticed any discernible plumping! Did the loading dose & on systemic HRT as well. Anyone else?

no, I am 71, stuff was different! It was a family planning clinic run by the FPA. I was offered a female doctor IIRC but wasn't bothered.

My mum is 74 and she went on the pill before her my father got married in 1970, and she had to have a full examination. I remember her asking when I went back on the pill after having DD1 if they still did it.

I was going to make a list, but they've all been said. The one that shocked the fcuk out of me though was one day realising

my labia minora had completely disappeared!!!!!!

I spent about 10 minutes scrabbling at my vulva, looking for them, as if I'd just misplaced them. I mean, what the actual fcuk. NO ONE ever told me about this.

Ive heard about this being a thing and think mine are on the decline too. It was mentioned on something i was reading about the rise in young women having labiaplasty to reduce their labia minora these days and the problems it may cause when the little they have left completely shrivels away at menopause.

I actually did know about this. Its one of the reasons given for using topical hrt as well as whole system hrt. I have been on Gina for around 2 years and I THINK mine are growing back!

The trouble is @godmum56 that I've had breast cancer. HRT is not advisable for breast cancer survivors OR for anyone with the BRCA genes.

Topical is OK in theory.

For me, it's gotta be digestive issues. Mainly constipation. Started 2014 and still ongoing. I can't even say it's ovulation / period related, they've been few and far between and very light. Now have stopped I think. On HRT Patches since 2021.

I don't believe I have IBS. But am more sensitive randomly. Say I eat an apple, my tummy bloats, painful trapped wind, mucus if I do manage to fart lol. Another time, absolutely fine. It's bizarre. Definitely no diarrhea ever.

Despite the Dr's saying more fibre to poo more often, brown bread, brown pasta, leafy veg, does sweet FA! Just makes thing worse 😢

That and untrained, unhelpful doctors!!

OMG!! Just had a furkle and a look and my "hanging outside" labia minora isnt hanging outside anymore.

This whole disappearing labia thing was news to me....but its gone. I know I habe viginal atrophy as I have pessaries for it (top tip, dont get a bladder oscopy [sorry, cant remember what its called] from a man who thinks he is parking a fucking van up your urethra), but thank you for educating me about the labia thing.

Just had a proper look and the "normal" one isnt there anymore and the very long one looks like the disappeared one used to.

Feeling quite tearful as I feel like I am drying up husk.

So naive question alert but cannot easily find answer on google….do these symptoms stop when you’re through meno?

or do they just go on and on? Unless you take hrt?

Yes,same. It's horrible and they just throw IBS as a suggestion out and I , too, don't fit the definitions. My digestive issues are about 10 years old now. I no longer can drink any alcohol.

I did have my gallbaldder out but the symptoms continue (not quite as bad as when I had the gallbladder). Gallstones are also associated with menopause and also with HRT use.

The fun never stops.

Some of mine stopped or imprived, some I still have. Some changes stayed changed. I think it varies.