Are You Menopausal / What's Normal ?

[Robyn]

This was suggested by Gelis. A lot of women are really confused by what is happening to them during their 40s and 50s. So many changes are happening, but what's normal, and what should they expect?

Gelis has a list of common symptoms and changes that I'm sure she would love to post.

[Gelis]

There are all kinds of symptoms which women experience during their 40s & early 50s which take us by surprise. Is this menopause? Am I going mad? What on earth is wrong with me?

We’ve all “always” known about hot flushes – the standard menopausal “joke” symptom. There are, however, many, many others, so I thought it would be helpful to make a “check list” to give those of us who are encountering these symptoms for the first time a clue as to what is going on. I’ve listed them in what seems to be the order of frequency that women report them. There may be others, of course, so please feel free to add them!


Irregular Periods
Hot Flushes/Night Sweats
Mood Swings
Vaginal Dryness
Loss of Libido

Depression/Anxiety/ Irritability/Headaches
Fatigue/Sleep Disorders
Memory Lapses/Difficult Concentrating
Dizziness/Irregular Heartbeat/Panic Disorder
Weight Gain/Bloating/Digestive Problems
Incontinence
Hair Loss/Brittle Nails/Allergies
Changes in Odour/Itchy Skin
Breast Pain/Joint Pain
Muscle Tension
Burning Tongue
Electric Shocks/Tingling Extremities
Gum Problems

Osteoporosis


Gxx

[gillypanda]

Oh my, oh my, I wish this was more widely known.

I would add, wind in/at inappropriate times! I was out with a group of ladies "of a certain age" and people kept wandering off to see the views on their own. It was only when one of them admitted to getting terrible wind, that everyone else admitted it too!

And gum problems, I hadn't heard that before, but I'm off to the dentist after the doctor as I've got problems with my gums that I've never had before I'm petrified of dentists, and my menopause anxiety and paranoia isn't helping...

[stumpy]

Mine were

Anxiety - high
no sleep
angry/irritated
some night sweats
low energy

now after HRT:

low anxiety sometimes
sleep is lots better
not so angry
better energy
no sweats

NEW:

tingling/painful arms & legs...hope thsi goes the longer I am on HRT

[Gelis]

One of the worst, which I forgot to add: rage - of the red mist descending/wanting to throw things type! I found that very scary, as I'm normally a pretty gentle person.

Gxx

[Robyn]

I don't think I really had too many peri symptoms. The whole ton of bricks just hit me suddenly when I was 51. I got the hot flushes, but the major problem was severe insomnia.

Prior to that I did have the irregular periods and a lot of problems losing weight, but the main thing I had, which I now realise was part of peri, was frequent peeing at night. Fortunately I used to sleep really well in those days, because I would regularly wake every two hours needing desperately to go to the loo, but at least I was able to go back to sleep very easily in those days. I tried not drinking anything after about 6pm, but that made no difference at all. I could never sleep any longer than 2 hours at a time.

I complained to my then GP about it (who was about 12 years old) and she gave me a really puzzled look and said she would send me for an ultrasound. When that came back showing nothing untoward, she just basically shrugged her shoulders, told me she didn’t know what was causing it, and not to drink anything before bed, and basically made me feel like a freak.

Anyway, now that I'm on oestrogen that problem has totally disappeared, so it was obvious what was causing the problem. I would have been in my late 40s when I complained to the prepubescent GP, so why on earth didn't she put two and two together? She was supposed to be the medical professional, not me. I knew nothing about menopause back then.

[susan]

My worst things in peri were

In no particular order:

Anger
Mood Swings
General Anxiety
(Big time)Health Anxiety
Two full blown panic attacks
Ridiculous unexplained tearfulness
Confident person to a 'wobbler'
Weight increase when not eating any extra
Formication - for years I was convinced the house had bugs
as I didn't know what it was, I was always
checking my skin for creepy crawlers
Serious Gum Problems
Tingling sensations at extremities

My worst symptoms Post Menopause - about three years after cessation of periods in my case

Crippling vaginal atrophy
Still having bad hot flushes (6 or 7 years by then )
Still anxious - but much less than peri, to give you some hope folk


Throughout both peri and post

Joint & muscle pain, hot flushing, chronic insomnia

Also all the usual hair thinning, skin thinning.

xxxx

[jacksfullofaces]

My symptoms
no sexual sensations
A few flushes
sweats at night
anxiety
gum problems
sore skin like sunburn
a cystocele
a rectocele
faecal incontinence
urinary incontinence
depression
anxiety
apathy
loss of confidence
vaginal atrophy
insomnia
bruising
hair breakage - made husband chop it off as I had some left unbroken and it looked weird
nails broke
This all happened in peri - I ran for the hormones and almost all symtoms have vanished.
Jacks

[susan]

Hi Pinky

The spellchecker wanted to change it to that word good job I had my wits about me.

I hope others know what it is or they will think I have run mad.

It was years before I found out it actually had a name.

xxxx

[Robyn]

Boy - just reading how some of you ladies have suffered makes me feel like I haven't done too badly after all. I thought I was a really sad case because of my weight gain, prog intolerence, hot flushes and insomnia (and associated anxiety/depression), but I haven't done too badly compared to some of you.

[shimmy]

Peri

Hot flushes
Heavy periods
itchy skin (especially head) thought I had nits - even went out and bought a nit comb.
Dizziness
burning tongue
anxiety
tmj worse
palpitations

Post

Night sweats/ not sleeping
anxiety/palpitations
aches & pains
vaginal dryness
concentration
tiredness
hair/skin much drier

Recently started hrt - hopeful things will improve

[Robyn]

Well that's the interesting thing Bella. All during my fertile years I never had any problems with anything. No PMS or PMT, my periods were always as regular as clockwork and I rarely even got cramps that needed anything more than just an aspirin to control. That's why I used to be so cocky about menopause. I just assumed I would sail through it, like I've sailed through the rest of my life.

It's still a bit too early to know where I am with everything yet. I've only been on the Premarin just over two weeks, and I'm not taking any more Utro until at least the end of Sept because I want to give the Premarin a chance to get me sorted out, before I start adding progesterone back into the mix.

Also add to the mix the Diazepam that I have to take just to sleep and I've got a lot of things going on in my poor little body. And as usual I'm too impatient and I want to reduce the diazepam too quickly to get off it, so I've been suffering a slight smattering of anxiety again the last couple of days. I really have to start practicing what I preach about how to reduce sleeping medications, so I'm now determined to just up my dose a little bit and reduce it reeeeeeaaaalllllly slowly.

[stumpy]

A youngish female locum GP to said to me once (when I was up there thinking I was going mad - but no I was peri)...."i think maybe try not to start HRT Mrs***, its only hot flushes for 6months or so".

I laughed in her face!!!

Bless her, I wish I could be a fly on the wall in 10-15yrs time.

Its hard to get a GP to take it seriously, especially if they are very young, or a male older GP. So wrong.


Stumpy xx

[susan]

Aug 25, 2012 10:29:10 GMT stumpy said:

A youngish female locum GP to said to me once (when I was up there thinking I was going mad - but no I was peri)...."i think maybe try not to start HRT Mrs***, its only hot flushes for 6months or so".

I laughed in her face!!!

Bless her, I wish I could be a fly on the wall in 10-15yrs time.

Its hard to get a GP to take it seriously, especially if they are very young, or a male older GP. So wrong.


Stumpy xx

Pity you couldn't have taken me along Stumpy. i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/Cybe2005/smiley-happy065.gif [/IMG]

I was still having them at 53 when I went on HRT, which finally got rid of flushes ironically it was the crippling Vaginal Atrophy that sent me to the GP. I have never run out of a room quicker with a prescription in my life

I knew for approx 25% of VA sufferers that vaginal oestrogen on it's own won't be enough, so I talked about having had hot flushes for 6 or 7 years, which was true.

I sat opposite a 60 year old lady at work who started on flushes at 51 and although I dont sit with her now I know is still getting them at 66 - 15 flippin years poor thing.

She said when the hot flushes started she had finished her period a couple of years. She went to her GP about HRT and was told that if she wanted it she would have to start bleeding again, so she didn't bother.

Surely the GP realised she was post menopause by enough to prescribe a no-bleed. She has suffered for years because of one cr@p GP appointment.

xxxx

[stumpy]

Hi Susan

The flushes are bad enough if thats all it was.

As we all know, they symptoms/problems change daily. Return when they feel like it too.

Her face was a picture when i burst out laughing. I said i wish thats all it was.

Stumpy xx

[susan]

Aug 25, 2012 13:40:23 GMT stumpy said:

Hi Susan

The flushes are bad enough if thats all it was.

As we all know, they symptoms/problems change daily. Return when they feel like it too.

Her face was a picture when i burst out laughing. I said i wish thats all it was.

Stumpy xx

Her time will come Stumpy

All women are different, a lot do eventually seem to get rid of their hot flushes after a few years, but some poor women seem to have them for many years or in the worst case senario for life.

xxxx

[Klop]

Nice things you wrote. I liked it. Thanks for that

[NaNaLa]

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