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.

yes this!

GP prescribed hydrocortisone for my Vulval soreness.

Gynae looked at me and told me to use estriol every single day. Liberally.

Vulval itching disappeared.

Thank you!!! that's really helpful

@godmum56 i am absolutely astounded that we have to find this stuff out by trail and error. We should all get a leaflet in the post on our 35th birthday!

*trial and error..

Loss of sweet tooth. I only eat sweet things out of politeness if someone offers a cake. I really like savoury things.

Yes idk why they stick with this euphemism, it didn’t mean anything to me so I didn’t think I had it. It’s a broader phenomenon that may encompass itching and a flaccid, dry pubic area than just lack of vulval lubrication.
Rightly or wrongly I interpret dryness to mean you have difficulty with piv sex, and checking the NHS guidance that’s where the focus is.

I think the phrase vaginal dryness really needs to be eradicated because it makes women think they will be literally dry and it doesn’t
I have vaginal atrophy and at no point was I “dry” to the touch but I was incredibly itchy, oh god the itching! Managed now with vaginal estrogen but not without a lot of trial and error

It has been! It's now GSM

https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/july/genitourinary-syndrome-of-menopause

This is from Australia and UK meno specialists are using the term now, it's not filtered into the NHS and mainstream media.

‘Flaccid dry pubic area’

what a time to be alive eh? 🤣

I think that my problem is that I predate many many HRT options. Its some 25 ish years ago that I last bled and I started peri around 12 years before that. I went through it without HRT because at the time, there were only 2 kinds and neither suited me. Its only a few years ago that I got the vulval itching and soreness, and knew that "at my age" (sigh) it would be a stand up fight to start HRT. About that time that Gina came off prescription so I thought I'd give it a go and my research told me that steroid cream was also used for skin damage in that area.....anyway i am wittering....my point is that a leaflet at 35 (yes I know you were joking) prob wouldn't help because medicine and advice moves on. If I was doing it again though I'd fight tooth and nail for specialist advice because the menopause nurse I saw at the time, although there wasn't much she could offer, was so helpful and knowledgeable.

I rarely say "because men" on here but i do suspect that this is at least in part due to what they lose when women go into menopause so that is why they presented for traetment.

@godmum56 I think you were given bad advice or bad/none treatment. But it also sounds as if you had an early menopause- guessing you were post menopausal in your late 40s and in peri in your 30s.

Friend of mine is over 70 and has been on the latest types of HRT for almost 20 years (patches and Utrogestan for the vast majority of those years.)

I'm a bit younger than you, been on HRT for a long time (over 15 years) and was offered estrogen gel immediately by my consultant.

So there were more types around, but whoever you saw didn't know of them.

It was inspired by your username 🤣
Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to disambiguate in the least gross way

@trainedopossumreading that phrase is what’s surprised me most of all so far about the menopause! 😆

I actually think that there needs to be a lesson shoved in somewhere when kids do sex education at school - or whatever they call it these days. Just an hour on the menopause. Because until the age of 52 I had NO IDEA about stupid vaginal atrophy and I consider myself clued up tbh. And I thank god I figured it out in time to halt it in its tracks (hopefully!) There must be loads of women out there thinking they have thrush or an allergic reaction to something and not connecting the dots and realising it’s a lack of oestrogen.

so yeah, a short lesson on menopause in school. It affects half the population ultimately and I have a feeling that had I learned in school that my fanny would be likely to rebel against me in years to come, I may well have rolled my eyes in boredom but I sure as hell wouldn’t have forgotten about it

I was surprised by how hard it was to get HRT because the so-called menopause expert that I’d waited for weeks for an appointment with at my GP surgery said it couldn’t be peri as I didn’t have night sweats. She did offer anti depressants though ffs. I was expecting a battle to get HRT when I made another appointment with another GP, but he was a lot more reasonable.

Theeyeballsinthesky, That's so interesting. I presumed it actually meant dryness, which I definitely don't have. I'll look into it, thanks.

I had this joyful symptom for a few years but it has almost totally cleared up (thank goodness!!). I'm postmenopausal now. Just wanted to give you some hope because it's not pleasant at all.

Thank you!!

Thank you! I need hope!!

@Cotton55ive never had any dryness either. Nothing at all. So when I started feeling a bit ‘weird’ down there, I never thought for a moment it could be atrophy. No pain or dryness or anything like that

no wonder women can’t work out if they’re coming or going half the time!

Rubbish gums
itchy scalp
loosing hair (HRT sorted that one)
hair going curly
dry eyes

Looks negative to me. You can even see similar on Covid tests. But definitely re-test (maybe try a different brand of test too).

did you mean to post on this thread?

Its menopause brain fog!!!