Hi Jackqui and WMLB
As another one who hit the hormone madness at 40, I just wanted to say welcome and you're not alone. Coping with the physical and emotional effects of peri menopause and menopause are difficult at any age, let alone your 40s when many are still working full time and have young children (sadly, I left it too late for the latter).
I'm now nearly 44 and, whilst I certainly dont feel like 'old me', I can say that I am now more accepting and realistic about my situation (have also learnt who my true friends are and how to say 'no'!
).
The only advice I can really add is:
1- When times are bad, especially when you get a weird, atypical symptom (usually crushing fatigue, tingling or the chills in my case) or non-stop tears, remember - it really is 'only' your hormones. It will ease.
2- Don't expect your first hrt or bcp to be the right one for you. If it is, you're very lucky.
3 - Don't expect treatment to work for several weeks, if not months; I wanted immediate results, and then panicked when they didn't appear!
4- Remember that, being younger, the risks for hrt are much better than for someone older. In fact, we are at more risk not taking additional estrogen. Try to avoid Googling the scare stories!
5- For some younger ladies, especially those in peri menopause, standard hrt isnt always as helpful as a treatment which actually suppresses ovulation. Look at the NAPS guidelines for advice on this.
6 - Dont rule out the BCP if HRT isnt effective. For some ladies, the combined pill (which is stronger, though generally not as natural) is better because it prevents the fluctuations. There is also a new, more natural pill called Qlaira which I'd recommend investigating as a useful bridge between HRT and the pill.
7 - No matter how stupid your question is, or how awful you feel, there will always be someone on here with an answer, advice or even just an understanding 'I get it'. Some of the ladies on here have, over the last 18 months, helped me more than they will ever know!
Really hope you feel better soon x
