just want to feel normal again

[zilch]

Gp told me to come off mini pill for three months so I can have a blood test to see where I am at on this lovely road! anyone else had this, what will it show? I have zilch energy, sex drive, motivation, gaing weight, the odd period and very achy joints ( (I'm 46) and just want to feel normal again. must I be fully in the menopause to get her and can I take it and the mini pill

[gobe]

Someone will be along later to give you some advice but meantime have one of these from me! i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/Cybe2005/smiley-happy065.gif [/IMG]

[Gelis]

Hi Zilch

...and welcome to this lovely, supportive forum. To answer your question - I used HRT while in perimenopause, until I had to come off it for reasons I won't bore anyone with again. My GP advised still using contraception while I was taking it. Good idea to find out more and then go back to your GP to ask for HRT if that is what is necessary to make you feel better.

Gxx

[Gelis]

....embarrassed now! OK. Story is: I started taking progesterone only in my mid 30s, to sort out a seriously erratic cycle and horrible, horrible PMS and because I was trying to become pregnant. The prog sorted out my cycle and the PMS, but the pregnancy never happened, but we came to terms with that eventually and decided just to get on with our lives. When I was about 42 everything went haywire again - return of awful PMS with erratic & very heavy periods. Went to GP, as thought it was all hormonal; she first suggested that I was a bit young and asked me to consider ADs (to deal with the mood swings which were one of the worst symptoms). As I had a very demanding & "public" job, taking ADs wasn't an option for me and, to be honest, they scare me witless! GP agreed straight away to send me to a gynae, having done a blood test showing me to be "borderline" peri. Gynae straight away said I should be on HRT, and he prescribed Femoston 2/20 - the progesterone part was Duphaston (dydogesterone) which was what I'd been taking anyway. It took me a few months to adjust, but it wasn't long before I felt more like my old self. Hurrah! I took it, in total, for around 5 years - with a short "blip" when the Femoston was discontinued until my GP used her initiative & prescribed the two hormones separately. When we moved here to Greece the gynae I saw gave me an internal scan and found fibroids; he then refused to give me HRT any longer, which meant that I had to come off it "cold turkey" which was pretty awful, frankly! Now I've been off it for a few years I've adjusted again; I'm still waiting for it all to stop, though, 11 years after my entry into perimenopause.
Mood swings are the main clue I get these days of an approaching period, but I tend to realise after the event, if you see what I mean, as there are a lot of other stresses in my life which make me weepy as well!

Gxx

[Poppy]

Hi zilch & welcome from me too

xx

[Robyn]

:2welcome:


I don't have any experience with taking the mini pill and HRT, but I can really empathise with you wanting to "just feel normal again". I think all of us can understand that feeling. Why doesn't someone really warn you what meno and peri-meno is like? Most of the things I read said stuff like you might suffer some "discomfort" or "uncomfortable" symptoms, implying that it's no big deal. In my experience that's BULLSH** and probably written by a man or a woman who has never experienced menopause.

I even read something once which said (and I swear this is true) that some women learn to "enjoy" insomnia during menopause because it gives them more time to get things done. I swear I'm not making that up. It was even written by a doctor.

However, the good news is that if you can take HRT, and once you work out the right one for you, yes you can feel "normal" again.

[zilch]

Thanks for all the replies and making me feel welcome.
Have spoken to GP who really has very little interest to be honest! Keeps insisting I have a thyroid test (had one a year ago) among other blood tests. I mentioned use of testosterone for zilch sex drive and she said "oh noooo that's for men"!!!!!! have forms to change practice but no energy to fill them in lol. Thanks again

[zilch]

Thank you. Spoken to practice today and my bloods have all come back normal. I have gp appointment Monday but I am expecting very little response

[jacksfullofaces]

Get yor blood rfeference range - normal might mean norn#mal for menopause - not normal for optimal well being
Jacks

[zilch]

ok will do. How will
I know is there a figure to look for

[jacksfullofaces]

Reference ranges for the blood content of estradiol during the menstrual cycle[2]
- The ranges denoted By biological stage may be used in closely monitored menstrual cycles in regard to other markers of its biological progression, with the time scale being compressed or stretched to how much faster or slower, respectively, the cycle progresses compared to an average cycle.
- The ranges denoted Inter-cycle variability are more appropriate to use in unmonitored cycles with only the beginning of menstruation known, but where the woman accurately knows her average cycle lengths and time of ovulation, and that they are somewhat averagely regular, with the time scale being compressed or stretched to how much a woman's average cycle length is shorter or longer, respectively, than the average of the population.
- The ranges denoted Inter-woman variability are more appropriate to use when the average cycle lengths and time of ovulation are unknown, but only the beginning of menstruation is given.


Reference ranges for serum estradiol



Patient type

Lower limit

Upper limit

Unit



Adult male

50[3]

200[3]

pmol/L



14

55

pg/mL



Adult female (follicular
phase, day 5)

70[3]
95% PI (standard)

500[3]
95% PI

pmol/L



110[4]
90% PI (used
in diagram)

220[4]
90% PI



19 (95% PI)

140 (95% PI)

pg/mL



30 (90% PI)

60 (90% PI)



Adult female (preovulatory
peak)

400[3]

1500[3]

pmol/L



110

410

pg/mL



Adult female
(luteal phase)

70[3]

600[3]

pmol/L



19

160

pg/mL



Adult female - free
(not protein bound)

0.5[5]

9[5]

pg/mL



1.7[5]

33[5]

pmol/L



Post-menopausal female

N/A[3]

< 130[3]

pmol/L



N/A

< 35

pg/mL

[jacksfullofaces]

Basically if you have blood references of estradiol which are normal for a female in menopause you will feel distinctly under par. I got my results by nagging the gynaecologist until he gave me the number. I wanted it gto keep track on the reference I need to aim for to feel good. Mine was 469 and I'm pretty lively with this level of circulating estradiol.
Jacks

[stumpy]

its all too confusing for me.

Stumpy xx

[Robyn]

You're not alone stumps.....