Please help me cope with horrendous night sweats!

[Fancycrab]

I’m 42 and starting to notice a couple of signs of peri menopause. My cycle has got a bit shorter and worst of all, I’m getting these awful night sweats every night starting a week or so before my period starts and not stopping till the middle of my period. I have to change PJs and put a towel down to sleep on 3 or 4 times every night cos I’m completely soaked in sweat, along with the sheets, pillow and sometimes the duvet too. I sometimes also feel a bit like I’m getting a cold (sneezing & chills etc) in the morning cos I’ve been lying in cold sweat for hours. I have done absolutely everything to try and help - I wear 100% cotton baggy t-shirt & shorts to bed, 100% cotton bedding, bamboo pillow, light, breathable duvet. I sleep with the windows open so the room stays cool all night. Nothing makes a difference though. I’m at my wits end with it! Does anyone have any tips that might help? Any medication or natural remedies I can try? Literally willing to do anything to stop this (except go on HRT - I feel like that might be a bit of a leap considering this is the one and only symptom that bothers me). Thank you

I wonder if @Fancycrab you're reluctant to consider HRT as you're only 42 and it's a bit of an emotional shock to take on board being peri meno and having severe night sweats?

The point is, as PPs have said, is that at 42 this could go on for years. it also means you're possibly already low in estrogen which is a danger to your bones and longer term your heart.

The average age of menopause is 51-52.
Yes, symptoms can start years before that but if periods stop by 45 you're considered to have an early menopause and medical advice is to use HRT to at least 51-52, for the above reasons.

I started HRT in my early 50s mainly for insomnia and hourly flushes. I have used it now for over 15 years and have had a couple of trials stopping it for a few weeks- my insomnia came back.

Don't create some barrier to HRT if you need it. You're sweating buckets if you need to change sheets and a duvet. That really is the extreme end of night sweats.

Go to your GP, explain how horrendous this is, list your peri symptoms (change in cycles) and say you want to try HRT for 3 months.

Women do not have to put up with this sort of thing now and the tiny risks of HRT do not apply to women under the average age of menopause (51) , but the risks of not taking it do.

My only symptom and I take HRT. Not sure why it’s a “leap”.

I'd see a GP. Night sweats can be a symptom of lots of other things that I'd want to rule out before HRT.

That is true, but when they are happening along with changes to periods, it's likely to be peri.

As OP is under 45, her GP may want to do a blood test anyway to rule out other illnesses.

it certainly does, i didnt make it up

HRT and a wool duvet. Particularly the wool duvet. You have my sympathies. I’d be up 4or 5 times I. The night, changing the towel I was lying on. DH said it was like sleeping with Gollum.

If it worked, everyone would do it, wouldn't they?

If I wetted my wrists when I went to bed at 10pm I think they’d be dry by 3am which is when the sweats start.

I started with night sweats at 40 . I made no link with perimenopause . Just thought it was weird .
Over the next 10 years I had loads of ‘weird’ things . Itchiness , hair loss , joint pain, anxiety .
eventually my dreadful sleep led me to HRT and all the symptoms stopped within a month.
Now aged 58 , the night sweats are back so my HRT will hopefully be upped .
If I had realised it was all hormonal I would have taken HRT earlier and saved the angst .
Don’t rule it out , you can have low dose and it might just save your sanity for 15 years !

Yes it’s part emotional- bit of a shock to not have gone through lots of obvious symptoms and had time to get my head round it before going on HRT. Living in the age-phobic society we live in (especially if you’re a woman) doesn’t help either. I still have young kids, I still play sports at a high level for my age. I guess I just don’t see HRT fitting in with that. Also I think it’s a bit of a leap cos this only happens for max a week a month (sometimes it’s less, 3-4 days) and I have no other symptoms. I’m not sure it’s worth taking just for that, considering the potential side effects. I’ve heard lots of people put on weight. If I had to choose between weight gain and putting up with a few nights of night sweats each month, hands down I’d go with the night sweats (not to say they don’t drive me insane but weight gain would upset me more). That may change if I was to get more symptoms. I have had blood tests at the GP to check in case it’s something else. They all came back normal. Considering it happens a few days before my period every month I’m thinking it’s most likely to be linked to peri menopause. My periods have also started to come 3-4 days early every month. Did other people notice this was one of the first symptoms of peri?

It was my first symptom of menopause. My cycle then started changing. I didn’t put any weight on at all with HRT when I started at 43.

I get what you're saying @Fancycrab

It is quite normal for body temp to rise after ovulation when progesterone kicks in at the 2nd half of the month and some night sweats are not unusual.

(I used to get those in my mid- late 40s but only for 3-4 days before a period.)

However, yours do seem quite extreme if you're soaking sheets and a duvet. Night sweats for me were a slight trickle of sweat down my chest area.

Living in the age-phobic society we live in (especially if you’re a woman) doesn’t help either. I still have young kids, I still play sports at a high level for my age. I guess I just don’t see HRT fitting in with that

You're being ageist too because you think HRT is just for old women!

The age of menopause is 45-55, with 51 being average. You do seem to be starting relatively early with your cycle shortening but peri can last for years. There is no point 'fighting' it with thoughts on age-phobia or the age of your kids etc. It's not something you can control. 1% of women are post meno before 40.

The most important thing is quality of life. That's what HRT is there for, regardless of age etc.

Being honest, there are no 'alternatives' that work as well as HRT. You could spend months trying herbs etc and get nowhere. If they did work, they'd be prescribed. The science and research shows that it's 40% placebo effect with the supplements being sold.

Weight gain- it's very individual. I've used hrt for over 15 years and am the same (low ) weight I've always been. It's not a given you'd put on weight.

Try wearing a cotton vest or thin cotton t shirt under your pyjamas and wear socks in bed. It won't stop the sweating but will stop you getting cold due to it which is probably what is waking you. It seems counter productive putting on more clothes I know ,but I read this tip on Mumsnet some years ago and it has worked for me. I used to suffer terribly before I tried this.

I tried everything to stop my night sweats. 100% cotton for bedding, nightwear, herbal supps etc. End of the day I went on HRT and they stopped almost immediately. I was only 40 at the time. I’ve never gained weight on HRT and I’ve been on it for 10 years now. Infact if anything I’ve lost as no longer shattered and craving sugar.

I’ve been on continuous HRT for almost 3 years and actually, have lost weight since I’ve been on it. So it’s not a given that you’ll put any on.

I would have put up with my hot flushes ‘just because’ I was scared of HRT, but once I went on it and they stopped it was like a miracle. I don’t know if it’s done anything for my hair loss - which was the reason I went on it - because I started using minoxidil at the same time. But the fact those horrible flushes and night sweats stopped almost immediately means I’ve stayed on it.

Plus it’s really good for your bones.

Right, I ve gone back on HRT . Started it again yesterday so hopefully kicks in soon.

I can’t take HRT due to breast cancer, I saw this article and am thinking of giving it a try
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2503873-at-home-hypnosis-relieves-menopausal-hot-flushes/

Isn’t weight gain usually from low estrogen? I had a flat stomach and then I developed lower abdominal belly! Hard to shift but getting there.

Thanks I will try this. Maybe I could try sweat wicking gym top and shorts actually..that may suck all the sweat up!

I had this too. Its awful. I would go to bed and wake up drenched. Have to get changed but then would just sweat again. Then I would wake up freezing cold because of the sweat drying on me. It was hideous and I had so many awful disrupted nights.

I tried HRT which worked for the sweats but I was progesterone intolerant so had to come off HRT and they came back straight away.

I then looked into supplements to combat my many perimenopause symptoms and started firstly with taking the Menopace supplements which I got from Amazon. Within a few days the night sweats had stopped completely.

I ran out over Christmas and due to Bank Holidays I had to wait a couple of days for my order to be delivered and the night sweats came straight back. Thankfully only for a couple of nights, back on the Menopace and hey presto, night sweats are gone again.

They might not work for everyone but they have definitely worked for me. They helped with many of my other symptoms too although I do also take magnesium glycinate now and a digestive enzyme, both which have also helped me through this stage.

HRT. I went on it at 44 after sweating like this for two years.

It's changed my life.

I was also very very sporty and active.

I put on weight with cyclical progesterone but once I had a Mirena coil inserted, I lost all the weight and I now have very happy hormones.

Also if you are sports orientated, HRT will protect against tendon and ligament issues and help bone density and guard against muscle loss as you age.

@Fancycrab I completely understand your mindset around trying hrt at 42. However, please do bear in mind that herbs, supplements and cool clothing will not protect your bones. They may be an option for women in their 50s who had menopause at the average age but IF you're early they aren't the answer.

If you are losing estrogen now at 42, your bones will start to lose density. This is why HRT is medically advised for loss of periods before 45. I appreciate you're not there yet, but if your peri symptoms become worse in the next year or so, do consider it.

At menopause, bones can lose 5% a year of their density , quickly for 5 years then more slowly afterwards. 1:2 women over 50 have osteoporosis often not diagnosed till they have a fracture and early(ier) menopause is one of the main risk factors.