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[Sooby]

I have a real bee in my bonnet about the lack of awareness of Peri menopause amongst women and would really like to do something about it. So many women struggle on with a wide range of debilitating symptoms without realising that they are linked to fluctuating levels of hormone and in many cases when they do eventually discover the root of their mental, physical or emotional health issues they often struggle to get the support that they need due to a lack of awareness amongst the medical profession.

So I have an idea to create a promotional campaign to inform and educate as many women as possible with the aim of creating a snowball effect and that will hopefully lead to an increased awareness amongst health practitioners too. After all, many health professionals are women and those who are not must have mothers, sisters, wives, female colleagues?

Trying to educate health professionals could be a long and difficult task for an outsider and us peri girls just dont have the time and the energy but if we each make it our personal challenge to make more women aware then that awareness will become accepted wisdom amongst all of us regardless of our gender or profession.

My starting point is to compile a list of possible symptoms of peri meno, particularly the less obvious ones so if you feel that you can help with this please let me know.

I also need some really useful links to information and support so if you have any to suggest please do.

If any of you have any examples of how the extremes of these symptoms can have a devastating affects on relationships, marriages, parents, work etc that would be helpful too. Feel free to pm me your experience if you are happy for me to use a summary of it as an example.

I may at some point need some professional medical input or clarification but until then I will get on with the basic research and draft something that you can all share through email or facebook networks.

Lastly, I'm not precious about this so if any of you have any other suggestions to promote this awareness please feel free to share them.

[Taz2]

It's strange how we don't seem to even consider that it is a slow transition - puberty in reverse so to speak - and don't go looking for info. I got most of mine from a book called Could it be Perimenopause listed under the Books in the green menu. There are sites on the internet listing the symptoms of peri so you could start there compiling your own list?  The Sage site is good and not one that women in their forties would probably bother to look at so lots of their info is lost to the very women who need it I would think! http://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/health-wellbeing/conditions/menopause/perimenopause-symptoms-and-treatments

Taz x

[Dancinggirl]

Sounds a good idea Sooby - I do think that women are not educated about this time in our lives and the consequences can have devastating effects.  I am often chatting with women about the meno and HRT and it staggers me how ignorant they are on this  - it's something we all go through without any preparation. 
I'm surprised that magazines like Good House Keeping don't do a good article based on the new NICE guidelines - the articles I read all tend to push 'the Natural way', making those of us who need HRT feel a failure - we shouldn't feel we need to justify why we use HRT as it is often the best option - a good diet and exercise regime won't be enough for around 40% of women.
Good luck.  Dg x

[Clovie]

I do think it needs to be brought into more 'mainstream' magazines, websites and TV programmes.
 The fact that there is good info available in specialist magazines, MM for example I'm of the opinion isn't going to help some people very much I feel.

The reason (I'm going to be honest here!  ) is that many women, myself included, did not/ do not see themselves of an age where the dreaded menopause might rear it's head. It's taboo, it's not something I (normally) discuss with family or friends, and I for one came to this website at the end of a long struggle to get info from anyone.

I for one tried to broach the subject with a similar aged relative who immediately didn't want to talk about it, was full of "oh well I don't have any of those symptoms!" in a way which made me feel ashamed and old and...well,  odd 

Similarly, at the start of my journey, I tried to chat about it with a friend, who reacted the same, like I had some dreaded disease or I was to be pitied as past 'life'    

Another friend a few years older than me seemed to get really bitchy and be horrible to me and lots of other people, lost a lot of friends and became very unpopular. No-one could understand it. About 9 month after that  the poor woman stopped me in the street and apologised, in tears about her behaviour and explained she had been going through this! I'm afraid I had no idea at all what she was going through at the time - I can totally relate to her now! The poor woman! 

It needs to be brought more out into the open it really does!! 

Ok, I'm perimenopausal - but I'm still me! I still have a sense of humour, I'm still attractive, I'm still funny, I still like chocolate and nice clothes and holidays, I'm still part of general and female society! , I'm still just as much alive as I was before! 

I agree, there's not much info around for us!
Look how much info there is available about other life stages! It's mad!

I didn't talk to my husband about this either, I'm afraid I hid my symptoms for a long time, I suppose I was a bit worried he might see me as 'old' and undesirable.

Even now even though he knows, of course, I don't like my husband seeing me looking at this site on my laptop (I'm going to be honest again, I don't think the title of this website or forum helps!  It's not that I wish it was called "Puppies and unicorns and fluffy pink candyfloss" or anything but the very word MENOPAUSE seems to ring bells of getting old.   And yes I know we ARE technically getting old, but at a time in our lives when we are feeling vulnerable due to fluctuating hormones and feeling unsure of ourselves a lot of the time, I think it all needs to be made less 'unfortunate'.

Anyway, just my two-penneth!

And thank the heavens for this wonderful site!! 

[CLKD]

Most of the 'articles': printed or on TV: that I see relating to Menopause symptoms are wishy washy.  That's why MM Magazine is important.  I subscribed for a few years and my copies went into the local Surgery for the Staff to read. 

[coldethyl]

Great idea. I certainly think more needs to be done about educating ourselves and our HCPs that the change is a transition not a one off event. My male GP told me it couldn't be the menopause as I was still having periods, which is technically correct but misses the whole point of why women drag themselves to the doctors sometimes years before that day arrives. It would have been so useful if I'd been given a pamphlet or sheet with some of the main symptoms on and links to this and other useful websites as I had no real idea other than hot flushes. I still think that surgeries should offer a clinic for menopausal women much as they run cardiac clinics and diabetes ones where you could see someone who had at least a vague interest in women's health. Also it would have helped me if there'd been a local group that I could attend so that I didn't feel so alone with this as all my local friends are either much younger or much older so the change is just a memory or something that is never going to happen! These things cost money but not as much as the endless unnecessary tests and doctor's visits and antidepressants that they dole out rather than trying to address the real underlying hormonal transitions.

[20032003]

I have learned SO much here! I have two collegaues who are of similar age to my own. One is 47, so exactly my age, and the other woman is just over 50. The slightly older woman has had breathing problems for a while now. Has had x-rays, blood tests, etc but they can't figure out what's wrong with her. I GENTLY suggested that maybe it had to do with hormones? Her answer: "No! I"m not THAT old!" Oki doki.....
The other woman (my age) talks about possible menopause quite a lot, but I don't quite get the sense that she has information beyond hot flashes and flooding....

[Clovie]

Oh Clovie I'm loving your post and yet it made me want to cry.

wise words well said and loads of thought provoking ideas. I'm right with you on so many levels. I think this could idea work but I believe that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and all your thoughts give me so much to concider in shaping this message. How it is pitched, its target audience, the medium used and the language and style.

Thank you for sharing. What a shame we cant meet for a coffee. xx

Oh thank you, Sooby! 

I'm glad it came across the way I meant it.

I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about it lately, because I've experienced it first hand.

I'm cross at how sooooo many women have been misunderstood, fobbed off and treated for mental problems with heavy duty anti-depressant drugs when a little tinkering with the right HRT would have them feeling so much better!! (OK an anti-depressant may be needed too, but they wouldn't have been diagnosed incorrectly!  )

So much lost time! 
So many wasted years with ladies fighting their own demons without any support, not daring to put their hand up and admit what is happening through shame and embarrassment 

It makes me think of ladies of times gone by, 'witches' were middle-aged evil women  ,
a whole generation of women were fobbed off with tranquilizers to 'shut them up' and calm them down 
Middle aged ladies were carted off to asylums 

It was all (MOSTLY!) hormonal!  Such a shame, suvch an awful shame!

We've made progress yes, but we need to make it different for our daughters and our granddaughters!

I too wish we lived near each other to meet for coffee! Sounds like we'd have stuff to chat about!   

[CLKD]

Maybe start with local large businesses?  Over 200 employees and the Company has to employ a full-time Nurse.  Speak to as many GP Practice Managers as possible and maybe target Vet. Practices too.  Are you close to a Library = posters? also target WI?  Church Groups/Cafes?  Housewives Register?  Mothers Union?  Leisure Centres?  Mums and Tots Groups?  Social Media ……

[ruthae]

Hi Sooby
I was delighted to see your new thread. When I first posted on here i was similarly buzzing about the lack of knowledge as I was fed up of colleagues and friends poopooing my symptoms and telling me to suck it up.  I was all for guerrilla fly leafleting and spreading the word on social media, but my rant met with little enthusiasm, as other members seemed to feel it was too personal to discuss these issues publicly - which did little to help my sense of paranoia at the time.  So yes, very happy to join in and help spread the word.  Will get my thinking cap on 😃

Rx

[walking the dog]

I tell everyone how bad a time in having whether they want to listen or not ! I think young women should be more aware of what could possibly happen symptoms wise I wish I been warned 

[SadLynda]

I went for a few years not knowing what on earth was wrong with me, also thought I was 'too young' and thought meno was all about 'hot flushes' and nothing else.  Something stood out in this topic, when I did a bit of family history research I found out that my Granddads mother died in an asylum were she was shipped too when he was about 13 years old, no other info.. now has me wondering...  Quite convinced back then I too would have ended up in the same place.

I did not speak to many either, I know a few ladies in their 60's did not wish to discuss it at all, a friend of mine had my symptoms and a lot more besides and had been told by GP years before she was most likely in peri but did nothing else - I am sure she doesnt believe me now when each extra symptom I tell her could well be too.  Once I got my diagnosis at GP number 3 my husband then understood and is now great about it, he is totally educated on the subject.

I could go on, (and on) but just to say I will watch this with interest and see if there is anything I can help with.

[MIS71MUM]

Slightly off topic, how about a proper diagnostic test that shows menopause or not? Maybe time for doctors to come up with something!

[Dancinggirl]

Mis71mum
As blood tests are so unreliable, there does need to be a diagnostic process put forward for GPs to use that will help to ascertain whether peri meno is responsible for certain symptoms so appropriate advice and support can be put into place.  Most GPs will carry out tests for thyroid etc. but if these come back as normal then peri meno does need to considered and possibly FSH and oestrogen levels monitored over 6-8 weeks to get a better picture of what is going on. It is particularlyy vital that POF is picked up properly as the long term implications can be nasty.
I also think not enough is done about bone density - a good friend of mine who actually didn't have her meno till her mid 50s, barely had a single flush, had a seemingly good diet and exercised (so slim and fit ) - she slipped and landed on her bottom, broke her sacrum and following a scan was found to have advanced stage osteoporosis at the age of 56!!! A routine DEXA scan at 50 fro all women would be a jolly good idea.  5 years of HRT in our 50s can really help bone density in the long term - osteoporosis is a debilitating condition and costs the NHS a fortune.  Dg x

[CLKD]

Yes StellaJane - HRT when necessary.  For as long as necessary.  Blood tests are reliably un-reliable  so a good knowledge of individual symptoms is important.  We need to know what to expect and from an earlier age than GPs tend to believe.

Telling at cervical screening might be a way to go.  However, how young to start telling girls?  I wouldn't have taken much notice to be honest, thinking 'that's way in the future'