Phone consultation about hrt- help?

[Randomchat]

I have a phone consultation on Thursday about general health, potential menopause, contraception. I'm really anxious about what to say. I hate phone calls so much. How do I play my phone call?

After a chat with friends recently I realise I have many menopause symptoms that I just haven't put together.

Physical ones like fatigue, achy joints, dry itchy skin and eyes. Vaginal dryness, total lack of interest in sex.

Emotional ones like not being interested in life, just wanting to be left alone. Moments of rage for no reason. Anxiety about tiny things.

I have the depo injection so I don't have periods.

Completely forgetting words for things. I forgot to do quite a big thing at work recently. Luckily someone reminded me just in the nick of time so I could get it done. Forgot to book a birthday tea in a local restaurant for my son's birthday so we couldn't go.

What do I say in my phone call?

From past phone calls it starts with a vague "how can I help you today?" Do I just come out and say "I think i need hrt?" Or do I try to describe my symptoms? Say "Well I'm feeling all wrong" and list off all my reasons?

I feel like I need a bit of a script to follow or I might cry. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal of this phone call in my head. Maybe that's a menopause anxiety symptoms by itself? If this was something my kids needed I'd be all over it but because it's me I don't want to bother anyone in case I'm wasting their time. It's ridiculous.

I guess all that will happen anyway is that they'll ask me to to come in. So I just need to say enough to get me physically in front of a doctor.

I think what you have said hear as your symptoms sounds perfect. Can you write that down so you have it in front of you as a prompt?

I would write down a list of your symptoms so that you remember all the things you want to say

You are absolutely not bothering anyone or wasting their time. Everything you've described sounds like meno to me. Keep this post in front of you to make sure you don't forget when you are speaking to the GP. They may want you to come in for blood pressure and blood tests to check thyroid / iron levels etc before prescribing HRT but honestly is 100% meno symptoms and they CAN BE alleviated: you don't need to accept feeling like this because you don't want to bother people.

Just read the message you’ve written here. Say you’ve realised a lot of things you’re experiencing might be related to perimenopause. That should be enough.
They likely won’t push HRT as not everyone wants to use it and it’s up to the patient so if you want to try it just say clearly “I’d like to try HRT please”.

Do you use IA ? If you ‘chatted’ to ai about this it would help you organize your thoughts and help you come up with a list. Tell it exactly what you’ve said here. It will suggest way you can start the conversation.

you don't need to accept feeling like this because you don't want to bother people

I know. I would bother the hell out of people for my kids but not for myself. I need to change that.

I've never used ai. I don't really understand it at all. But I will try. I really want to get this right.

One other thing is - have a think about whether you want to try patches, gel etc and state your preference rather than just accepting whatever is offered.

i told my gp on a phone consultation that I wanted transdermal rather than pills and we agreed on patches to start with - have since switched to gel as I found patches weren’t great in hot weather or exercising as they didn’t stick well.

My conversation with the GP went as follows.

"I'm perimenopausal [listed 3 or 4 main symptoms] and think it may be time to try HRT."

"Ok. As you're still having periods you'll need both oestoegen and progesterone. We usually start with patches but gel is also an option, which would you prefer?"

Don't build this up into a big thing in your head. GPs are used to women requesting this now, and most are keen on them doing so because it has a lot of long-term health benefits as well as dealing with short term symptoms.

Oh that would be brilliant if it went that way. I have a couple of friends with the same gp surgery who had a hard time getting hrt prescribed, they were offered antidepressants and advice on walking in forests.

But I'll hope for the best and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck. Don't let them fob you off. If it's known to be a backward practice, I'd lead with the physical symptoms and not mention any they can pin on depression.

And have a read of this so you know what they should and shouldn't be offering and testing: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/chapter/Recommendations

Well I was pleasantly surprised! I got a newish young woman doctor who has written me a prescription on the basis of our phone chat. What a difference from my friends' experiences with a different GP at the same practice.

Thank you for reminding me to just ask for what I need and not be pathetic about it.

Now we just have to see how it suits me.

Excellent.

It can take a while to get the dose and formulation optimised, so you may need to tweak things for the full effect but should start noticing some differences relatively quickly.