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[Spangles]

Hi ladies,
I thought it might be interesting for use to see how long each of us have been on the menopause journey for? Does it get any better with time?
I've been diagnosed for almost 4years but I was having problems for a long time before. I am on Citalopram 40mg daily, Utrogestan 12x200 and Evorel 50. I feel the further I've got the worse I feel!
How about you, how do you feel as time goes on?
Thanks
Shellb
xXx

[Dana]

It's hard to know. I completely crashed almost overnight when I was 51 and I'm now 57. I think I could have become post meno at 51, but because I've been on HRT pretty much ever since, and doing a cycle, it's hard to know. So for me it could be anywhere from 3 years (going by the "54" age time frame) to 6 years, but I think it's probably closer to 6 years.


I can't really say that things have improved for me, because I haven't tried decreasing my dose yet, but I do feel so much more settled and content about everything these days.

[Annie0710]

Mine hit so suddenly at 45.  Because I had a hysterectomy years ago I've been on oestrogen hrt 18 years so I can only go by their blood tests, every one since 48 says post meno, I'm having more bloods done tomorrow morning


Annie X

[Meg]

A couple of years before my periods stopped I had very mild hot flushes then at fifty it all ramped up tremendously.  Hot flushes during the day and night, dreadful feelings of apprehension not feeling in control, claustrophobic feelings.  These were a few symptoms!  Now 62 and experiencing lots of symptoms sorry to say!  Thinking logically this should not surprise me as any hormones released by my ovaries must be declining all the while.  I remember speaking to a lovely lady a few years back and she said she could feel that her oestrogen level was falling all of the time.

Meg

[Elizabethrose]

Feels like a life time!

Symptoms started at 40-41, diagnosed at 42. Now 57 and still in peri, though HOPEFULLY late stage now.

Oh the joys of womanhood!!

[clare663]

I started with the hot flushes around the age of 38, was sterilised at 36. I have been post meno for 5 years (im 49 now) and still getting the hot flushes, mood swings even when on hrt. It feels like its never ending tbh!

[linz57]

At the age of 51 my periods became erratic for about 6 months then they suddenly stopped completely. I had no problems throughout peri, in fact I felt fantastic. However from the age of 53 to now (59) I have felt steadily worse and worse. I am on medium dose hrt and although this initially made me feel great, now I feel pretty rubbish again even though I do not get hot flushes and it keeps my VA under control.
Every month seems to bring a new health complaint and I don't know whether some of this is just down to ageing rather than hormones issues.
All I do know is that since being post meno I've felt like an old crock.

[puddlesmum]

If I'm honest I actually have no idea. If I'm going by the symptoms, it "kind of" started when I was 34 with anxiety and panic attacks.  I then went on to lose 8 stone 2 years ago and symptoms of vertigo, nausea, migraines all started to happen at once in September 2014.  So it's possible it's been going on for around 10 years but just got worse up until me going on BHRT 3 months ago and now I'm getting a little relief (still damn anxious 2 weeks maybe 3 out of every month though).

If it's supposed to be like puberty in reverse I wish it would just happen already as I had loads of fun as a kid before puberty so I'm hoping post meno will be like that but need it sooner rather than later as this stage is pure purgatory.

[Meg]

Purgatory is a good description Puddlesmum.  Our chemical messengers programme everything, that is what meno has taught me.  I hope there is research going on into these things we call hormones or are we just to be abandoned after a certain age, bearing in mind that some women suffer premature menopause.  I know that aging is inevitable but the acceleration at menopause and the emotional impact is so difficult.

Meg

[linz57]

It sure is sparkle, just when I think I'm getting somewhere, along comes another symptom to knock me back. Three steps forward, two back..... Although at the moment it's more like one forward and three back 😢

[Justjules]

Like some ladies have said, hard to tell really.  Think my meno journey has been masked with ADs and being a bad anxiety sufferer hasn't helped distinguish symptoms.

Apart from the hot flushes, which were manageable for me, unlike some poor ladies, I don't think I experienced any of the others such as VA so I've been lucky on that score.

Nowadays, I'm just mostly an anxious wreck, trying to keep a lid on things but it's always bubbling away on the surface.  People say "oh you look so good and look well" but underneath the makeup and nice clothes, I'm a negative, pessimistic wreck full of strange symptoms that I don't know I should be worried about or not!  I certainly can't compare myself to the Lorraine Kellys and Carole Vordemans of this world who are jumping up and down at zumba classes and feeling great or flying around the world....wouldn't have the energy for either of those things!

I too feel that we are just left to cope and it really frustrates me as if you're not helped by HRT then it seems we're just to find out what helps or doesn't help on our own.  GPs are useless - I'm sick of them saying that "oh you're well over the menopause now so it's nothing to do with that"!!!  How can we lose a hormone we've been relying on for all our lives and not feel any affects from it???  It might be 'nature' but then women didn't really live this long in the past and we're evolving differently now and could be stuck in this hell hole for the rest of our lives which is enough to send me heading for the nearest bridge.... x

[Annidav]

Oh my goodness Menomale I am sorry to read all that you have gone through  xx 

[Spangles]

Thank you so much for your replies.
They have reassured me that I am not alone! I do feel like as soon as I make progress something knocks me back, I will keep on plodding along and one day I'm sure there will be light at the end of it all.
Thanks again
Shellb
xXx