Menopause - Page 3 - Health + Injury

Liz Casling

10/05/2011 at 10:30

Wow! this thread is saying exactly what has been happening to me for about a year now. Periods all over the place, sore heavy boobs, weight gain, axe murderer moods. Now I feel hot the whole time - when i did the marathon I found it unbearably hot, unlike my younger female friends.
Doctor does nt think anything is happening and yes he is a man! I tell him you try dealing with periods that are 4/5 weeks long and cripple you!!In fact I had an operation for endometriosis last year which turned out to be a lump on my ovary - still has nt changed anything.

I wish you all well - and in a weird way, its ggod to know there's others out there. My sister is 5 years older than me and nothing!

beebs

10/05/2011 at 10:34

LN, sounds like a good plan.

Liz does your practice have a GP who specialises in women's health and or menopause, mine does and she was very helpful.

Liz Casling

10/05/2011 at 11:00

I dont think it does. I could find out though. Thank you

Wendy Pullen

10/05/2011 at 11:19

I thought I was going through the menopause two years ago, hot flushes every half hour, well thats what it felt like, periods stopped. Blood tests revealed a very underactive thyroid. Took over a year to get the dosage correct and period returned, hot flushes disappeared and the weight gain has slowly diminished. However, I think I am now going through the menopause, no periods for two months, don't care about this just don't want the hot flushes again, so far so good. Another lady mentioned Serenity cream, really worth a try, when I thought I was going through the menopause before I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid I was desperate and the Serenity cream really improved the amount of hot flushes I was experiencing.

Wilkie

10/05/2011 at 11:27

I've been having night sweats (from time to time) for about twenty years, although no hot flushes during the day.

I'm nearly fifty, so I expect to start the menopause soon enough.

I'm curious about this cream - having googled it, it seems that it contains progesterone. Can you not get a progesterone cream on prescription? I know prescriptions are not cheap, but they ARE still less (just) than £18.

Wendy Pullen

10/05/2011 at 12:20

I am not sure about obtaining a progesterone cream on prescription? I can say however that the cream lasts a long time and I found that as the hot flushes decreased I could obviously decrease the amount of cream I used. I was so desperate I would have honestly tried anything at the time the hot flushes were dreadful and I was sceptical about trying the cream but so many women with a lot worse symptoms than I was experiencing swear by it. Could I just say Wilkie please get your thyroid tested, I think there are a lot of women out there undiagnosed who put these hot flushes and weight gain down to the menopause, I know that I did being 48 at the time. I am a retired nurse and I honestly never dreamt that the symptoms were anything other than my age.

Slugsta

10/05/2011 at 12:38

Can I point out that 'no-bleed' HRT is only suitable for women whose periods have already stopped or those that have had endometrial ablation/hysterectomy? There is an increased risk of endometrial cancer in women who do not fall into this catergory and who take 'unapposed' oestrogen. Progestrogen is added in to cause a bleed and reduce the risk of cancer.

Wendy Pullen

10/05/2011 at 12:57

Liz I have just re-read your post and really feel for you. Please, please get your thyroid tested, honestly I had all the same symptoms as you and whilst it may not be that, it could be. I am so grateful that I went to see the Nurse Practitioner who ran a series of blood tests which showed a TSH of 99 should be no higher than 5 and also that I was menopausal. However once I had taken replacement thyroxine for a while all my hormone levels returned to within the normal range. How many other women out there are suffering needlessly. Sorry if I sound abit evangelical but I was getting desperate with the hot flushes and weight gain and all the other awful symptoms associated with the menopause. Good luck Wendy

Liz Casling

10/05/2011 at 13:41

Thanks Wendy for your concern. I will go and get it tested. I might see if Boots do a kit.

LIVERBIRD

pirate

10/05/2011 at 14:04

beebs wrote (see)

LN, I had endometrial ablation for heavy periodsin 2001 and stopped bleeding but still had my cycle. There are bleed HRT and no bleed, I opted for no bleed as there was no way I wanted the hassle of periods again! My GP said I might get spotting but so far so good, 5 weeks on it and I feel like a new woman
Its worth going back for a chat.

I was about to ask "who in their RIGHT MIND would opt to bleed" when Sluggie answered it for me!

I get suddenly hot, I sweat like there's no tomorrow and I have gained a lot of weight in the last four months. Maybe I'm hitting it?

I am in the hospital tomorrow for a hysteroscopy and uterine biopsy anyway so we'll soon find out!

I'll let you know how I get on!

Little Nemo - waving, not drowning!

10/05/2011 at 14:18

No weight gain for me (thank God!) but the heat and the sweating I can empathise with. Good luck, LB!

Slugsta, thanks for the info. It won't be such a blow now if the doctor tells me I have to continue having periods.

Re. thyroid levels, the doctor can test you for this as well. I had mine tested along with my hormones last year, all normal.

LIVERBIRD

pirate

10/05/2011 at 14:21

Mine was normal too LN. I might have to put the weight gain down to the chocklit and booze.

Little Nemo - waving, not drowning!

10/05/2011 at 14:29

Tsk!

I had to say no to Easter Eggs this year or I would be a lot heavier...

Slugsta

10/05/2011 at 14:29

Good luck for tomorrow, LB.

I had a hysterectomy more than 10 years ago, but ovaries still intact - so still all the hormone activity (or lack of it) but no periods to tell me what is happening. I'm getting loads of hot flushes and sweating but it's hard to know how much of this is menopausal and how much is a side effect of medication I am taking (I suspect a bit of both). I'm taking 'menopace' (mixture of vitamins and some soya) as I am on so much medication for other stuff that I don't want to add HRt into the mix.

LIVERBIRD

pirate

10/05/2011 at 14:35

Thanks Sluggie!

I take a lot of soya product because of my problem with milk and I've only just realised this has a lot of estrogen in it.

I just thought I was a mad cow...

Slugsta

10/05/2011 at 14:41

The 2 things are not mutually exclusive, LB!

LIVERBIRD

pirate

10/05/2011 at 14:41

I know!

Wendy Pullen

10/05/2011 at 14:59

Good luck Liverbird, hope it all goes well. It took me a year to loose the weight. At the time I had only been running just over a year and could not work out how the hell I was gaining weight! Also felt that I was constantly running uphill even on the flat. Touch wood no hot flushes even though periods stopped two months ago. Any other suggestions for vitamin/mineral supplements for the menopause? Wendy

beebs

10/05/2011 at 22:08

Thanks for the explanation Sluggie.I was very doubtful of HRT but wasn't me and didn't feel I wanted to impose the me I was on my loved ones!

Wendy I had my thyroid checked as well as a load of other basic blood tests, all normal.

Hope you sort something out Liz.

Good luck for tomorrow, LB,

Ultra Sparkly Bridget

10/05/2011 at 22:30

When I originally saw my GP it was to ask about thyroid as I was tired a lot and feeling cold. All fine though.

Slugsta - being as my bag is paediatrics I'm a bit of a numtpy about this end of things. If I do stop Depot next summer is there a chance of having bleeding?