Do you have questions about menopause? Ask Vira Health’s expert Dr Michelle Griffin - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Please note this Q&A is now closed for questions but you can see Dr Griffins answers here

Menopause can feel daunting and complicated. Maybe you’re perimenopausal; maybe your periods have stopped but you’re still having menopause-related symptoms. Maybe you’re going through an early menopause, or one brought on by medical treatment. Or maybe you’re just wondering what the next few years might hold for you and how you can best embrace (or at least get through) whatever may be heading your way. Vira Health is here to help, and their expert Dr Michelle Griffin will be answering your questions about everything to do with menopause from 18th to 27th Jan.

Here’s some more information about Dr Griffin: ‘Dr Michelle Griffin qualified as a doctor from University of Cambridge and specialised in Gynaecology, working in a number of hospitals in London and the East of England. She is a Member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has completed her training with the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. She has worked in the NHS for over a decade, as well as for the Department of Health, Public Health England and the World Health Organisation on women’s health projects. She is leading the clinical development of Stella, a new app to help you manage your menopausal symptoms'.

Here’s what Vira Health, the team behind Stella has to say: “Women spend on average 7-10 years in menopause, with symptoms changing and fluctuating all the time. Yet, in the UK, less than 7% of women are satisfied with the care they receive. That’s not ok. Stella offers women personalised plans to help manage menopause symptoms better with support from an expert coach. From insomnia to weight gain and anxiety to incontinence issues, Stella supports women to find relief backed by proven science. Plans are customised to your needs and you can track your progress quickly and easily.”

If you feel in the dark about the symptoms of menopause, you’re looking for advice on managing its effects in day to day life, or you have questions about treatment or care options, you’re in the right place. Share your questions for Dr Griffin below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ
Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My GP is reluctant to engage with me on HRT even though I started experiencing symptoms like night sweat before period and reduced sex drive. How do I approach this? Do I self refer to a private gynaecologist ?

Is anyone getting their questions answered on this thread?

@yearinyearout

Is anyone getting their questions answered on this thread?

From the OP:

expert Dr Michelle Griffin will be online on 27th Jan to answer your questions about everything to do with menopause.

We have to wait!

Hopefully a lot of questions can be grouped together and most of them answered, as they're all important.

Hi
I am 54 and on combined HRT (18 months) I have experienced a really heavy period a week earlier than expected. Just as its finished a new one has stared at the correct time along with the usual cramps etc. This is the first time I have experienced this and I am a little worried.

@yearinyearout

Is anyone getting their questions answered on this thread?

If anyone can't wait until the 27th - and goodness knows how many pages there will be by then - pop on over to the MN Menopause Board where there are some lovely very knowledgeable ladies.

For those of us around late 40s who've been taking the minipill for years and have their cycles suppressed by the minipill, what are the triggers to consider stopping taking it?

When progesterone no longer brings on a period do I still need to continue taking it along with my estrogen?

I’m 40 and have noticed my face gets very hot and uncomfortable (very red too) in the mornings and it lasts longer as I get older
Could this be a hot flush? Or do they usually effect the whole body?

Am on the contraceptive injection - how will I know when I start/finish menopause and can come off it?
Age 48

@RaininSummer

At 58, I figure my menopause must be well underway but I haven't suffered too much so far. Have had plenty of flushes and bad sleep but nothing else really. My question is this: having been lucky enough to not need HRT so far, will this lack of added hormones backfire on me with osteoporosis and so on. Should I be taking it even though I don't feel any need?

You have asked my question exactly. If we feel ok should we still take hrt routinely?

Please advise 5 precise essential things which will benefit every woman as she approaches menopause and beyond. I'd love to know a specific addition to my diet, a specific exercise (if you do 5 things, do this..).
My mother died over 20 years ago but I do wonder, were she still alive today, whether we would have had any open discussion. It seems to me, we still go through this in confusion and silence.

Id also like to know if migraine sufferers can take HRT.

I'm 58 and still on oestrogen only HRT, the lowest dose of Kliovance.
I started the menopause at 45 and my periods stopped a couple of years later.
I've tried weaning myself off slowly and I've had raging hot flushes I can't cope with. I work full time in a hospital and cannot cope with my job and hot flushes. Is it ok to stay on this until I retire at 67?

What's the best way to handle the insomnia ? If I choose not to go on HRT, how can I guard against osteoporosis?

Why is there so much about the menopause not known by so many women? I find it hard to get the info and answers I need. I hope we change this for future generations, more dialogue, access to current thinking about hrt and other options. I just find conflicting opinions and where HRT is concerned - the postcode lottery in full effect. A lot of women who are both talking about and taking HRT have had to go private. Should this be the case?

@OnlyTeaForMe

Is there any evidence that the menopause can bring about new allergies and intolerances? Since my mid-40s and perimenopause/menopause I've become allergic/ intolerant of several foods I previously ate happily.

Yes, me too. I would be interested to know this too

I don't understand the point of this thread is no one answers all the valid questions?

Seems quite cruel.

@chillimartini

I'm 42 and I sweat during the night - mainly just my lower body. This started about 2 months ago. I am on the pill and have been for many years due to endometriosis.

I had the same, and my GP recommended coming off the pill, my age and limited sex life meant I would be safe from pregnancy, and my hormones would level off and we could discuss menopausal treatments.

1 year later...here I am with a baby at 46.......

@snowisfallingallaroundus

I don't understand the point of this thread is no one answers all the valid questions?

Seems quite cruel.

The 27th of Jan is going to be the day for responses apparently.

There is a Menopause topic on here too - I think it's under the general health or women's health board. There are some really good posters on there.

First period since end of October (couple of ‘false alarms)... niagra falls - is this normal?

Why do gps not keep up with NICE guidelines? I had to battle to get oestrogen gel. Gp insisted on prescribing clonadine first which did naff all.

I am 48 and had the implant for contraceptive purposes 7 months ago. I have not had a period since but over the last month have been spotting (brownish colour) daily. I also find my sleeping very irregular (insomnia) and my heart rate is higher than it ever has been (90-100 bpm). I do not have night sweats so wondering if this is perimenopause given my age. Thank you.

Is age of menopause always hereditary? My mum and her mum were both late 50s when they had their last period, but I am q10 years younger and have some signs of peri menopause.

Does every woman suffer from menopause symptoms or are some not affected at all?
What is the average age of a woman to start the menopause?

Can you still get menopause symptoms if you are breastfeeding?