Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MicheleMaBelle]

Hi Twoodie- try Symprove. google it. I used it prior to a trip to Burma and Vietnam and was the only one who didn't get a tummy upset ( and I've got IBS ) x

[DaisyB]

Hi Twoodie
I also have IBS - I started making my own bone broth - you can google - I use one whole organic chicken in a slow cooker for 24 hours - gives me enough for one weeks supply filled with good stuff for the tummy. I also take bio kult first thing in morning. I have tried FODMAPS diet and various things over the years - but I have settled with a 'foods to avoid' approach - works best for me. Top of my list is fresh warm white bread, wheaten bread and prunes! I have also tried making my own kefir - word of caution though building the good bacteria up again should be a gentle and gradual process - hopefully you will begin to feel better soon. DaisyB 🙂

[Kathleen]

Hello Twoodie.

Changing hormones have also impacted my digestion so now I watch my diet and make my own Sauerkraut which helps.

I am thinking of having a stool test and I see that King's College London offer a private service called Map My Gut, is this the one you used?

I hope you find a regime that works for you and let us know how you get on.

K.

[Mary G]

Twoodle, there is a definite link between falling oestrogen levels and indigestion/nausea.  With the wonderful benefit of hindsight, I can now pinpoint exactly when my oestrogen levels starting dropping and the very first symptoms were increased sweating (although no problematic at that stage) and changes to the digestion with occasional nausea although that suddenly disappeared.

Regarding HRT, from my experience and from reading a lot of the posts on here, most HRT regimes fall over on the progesterone part.  I am severely intolerant to progesterone used in HRT regimes but you don't have to be progesterone intolerant to have problems with it, it can just have a drag effect and lower your mood or undermine all the good work the oestrogen is doing. 

Oestrogen is easy to mimic and that is why it is so successful but progesterone is very difficult and even though Utrogestan is bio identical and supposedly much like our own progesterone, it is nothing like the stuff I used to produce and the effects are very different.  In my case, it changes the way my brain receptors work and causes low mood and silent migraines.  Therefore, I have to seriously limit its use and only take a very small dose every 5-6 weeks - I am under strict supervision and have regular scans and this dose is perfect for me although I still don't like it. I also use Oestrogel and testosterone and and apart from the dreaded Utrogestan, I feel completely normal and don't have any menopause symptoms.

Perhaps you need to look at adding in the progesterone part of your regime cyclically?  From what you have said, it sounds like you could benefit from a good long run of oestrogen and testosterone only to see if it lifts your mood and makes you feel better overall.  That way, you will know if it is the progesterone causing the problems.  Alternatively you could ask if your oestrogen dose could be increased and your progesterone dose decreased?  It could make quite a difference.

The regime you are on sounds very good and I'm sure you can perfect it with a bit of tweaking.

[dangermouse]

Peri-menopause is not easy to treat with HRT so its all about trial and error. I personally had to use a private doctor and am using the compounded hormones too but that is because I couldn't get the more specific doses on the NHS but if you're lacking oestrogen then the NHS should be the place to start and much cheaper. Maybe you could ask your GP reception for an appointment with a GP who is more knowledgable with HRT and if no-one is, ask for a referral to a menopause clinic.

Re. the nausea, I also had it really badly and lost so much weight I had to just sip milk throughout the day to avoid dehydration as could not eat and had to take a few months off work unpaid as most days I couldn't leave my bed. I was also told it was a virus and endless other gastro things like ulcers, but had to wait 6 months for the gastro referral to come though to prove it wasn't, and no-one mentioned it could be hormones. I'd accepted it was a mystery illness, as the docs started to turn me down for emergency appointments "as I'd already been that week" and I remember making myself feel better with the thought that at worst I could go to Dignitas?!! Anyway, once I realised I was always in A&E during my period I figured out the hormone connection and a GP put me on the BCP pill which after 7 days of making the nausea worse (but knowing it was hitting a spot which gave me confidence), it all just STOPPED. I have never felt such relief in all my life to get 'off of that boat'.

I've since found the nausea was so bad as my endocrinologist believes they are migraines being triggered by the hormone imbalance and I do not know if going straight on the natural HRT then would have worked, as things were so severe, and I have had moments of it (around ovulation) but for me the pill being so much stronger would be what I would reach for if I wanted to ensure zero nausea. Hence, it might be useful for you (and the high synthetic hormones calm your own cycle down more than a Mirena could as that is only progesterone) just to get over the hell you are in now if you can't get the right HRT you need if have to wait to see someone else. Anti-histimine type anti-emetics, like Cyclizine, may also be of instant relief but they do make you drowsy, the other anti-emetics made me worse but all are worth a try when you're that ill.

Good luck!

[twoodie]

hi everyone,

Im going to have to give my bio identicals time to kick in I think.
The tablets for my stomach are high potency oregano from a nutritionalist who advised the stool sample analysis (the company is called Genova and they provide a full report -£180).

Thank you so much for your comments.

[twoodie]

Hi Im feeling worse than ever with dreadful feelings of doom and terrible anxiety. Its day 11 of hrt. Can you feel worse before you start to feel better? Im really desperate to get some symptom relief. Should. I go to my GP for some other medication (Ive never taken medication in my life)?
Would appreciate any advice.

[Maryjane]

Twoodie ......I also have never taken any medication in my life , peri has got me like a sledge hammer at 45 now 50 , I started HRT 18 months ago TBH my anxiety doesn't like it , but I have dreadful vaginal/ bladder issues bought on by menopause sink have to take HRT, otherwise I would top myself from the pain.

My nausea has been hideous also , i was  actually being sick lost a lot of weight , loss of taste burning mouth etc etc , had a camera down on Thursday all pointing to hormones , ibjve also had the Genova test done , same results as you and I bet a vast majority of the population are also, I take Syntol AMD probiotics and optibac for women probiotics.

I also get silent migraines / vertigo which cause more 🤢 , anxiety I can be like a cat on hot coals , so what do I do , walk walk and even more walk. Force myself somdsys I average 4/6 miles a day and always feel better for it.

Good luck . I thought menopause was a bit hot / bit batty/ heavy periods done over get on with life .....ummmm not for me .

[twoodie]

thank you so much for your responses so early in the morning. It does really help to know others feel the same. Im going to go back with my husband o stay where he works for the week as I really need to be with him and Im worried that I upset my mum too much when she comes to stay in his absence. I just wish I could even concentrate to read and relax but I just feel too awful. We haveca lovely blind black lab and i do get her out for walks every day. It does help. Im just worried that I cant go on living feeling like this x

[jorainbow]

I can relate to the lack of appetite which my GP just put down to depression but I also get a really sore tongue and occasional nasty taste in my mouth. Food wise I'm just eating what I can when I can but even food shopping is a chore. I can't believe the change in me in the last few months - I feel like half a me

[Dana]

Bioidentical is a very confusing term. It sounds like you are using "compounded" bioidentical hormones. These are not an ideal form of treatment for menopause as they are not regulated and there is no control over their manufacture. This link will explain what compounded bioidentical hormones are and what the negatives are.

https://www.menopause.org.au/hp/information-sheets/212-bioidentical-hormones-for-menopausal-symptoms

You would be much better off going to a regular GP and being prescribed proper pharmaceutical grade HRT which is test, regulated and approved.

[Kathleen]

Hello twoodie.

Just wanted to send hugs as I know how horrible it's possible to feel due to hormones.

I've had two children but only experienced morning sickness when menopausal plus my anxiety and flushes are a constant companion! I like being alone when feeling awful and a friend of mine goes and sits in her shed lol, but I know others are like you and feel safer in company. My trusty meno book describes feelings of unease and  I think that can  accompany anxiety and dread.

I see that you are taking oregano to improve your gut health and I read that this can have antibiotic properties so I assume you are trying to kill the bad bacteria?

Wishing you well and keep posting.

K.

[twoodie]

thank you so much. I really worry how long this can go on. If it were only anxiety (its not in my head its in my body like a monster) or nausea, but I really cant see a light at the end of the tunnel trying to deal with both all day every day. If I hadnt found this site I would be much worse I know that much.
The oregano is for the bad bacteria & if this doesnt work I could try anti biotics. Not sure how much of sickness is hormonal and how much is gut, probably a combination. I just miss eating normally so much it makes me want to sob.

[twoodie]

Im still wondering how long I should give the bio identicals to work. I had the coil taken out as we wondered in the early days if this is what was making me sick.

[dazned]

When I suffered with constant nausea (just like morning sickness but constant ) I found a travel sickness pill helped tremendously. As soon as my period started I'd be fine then next month one week before period it would start up again!😠 I also in the middle of a bout got weird cravings of what to eat when out of the blue I felt hungry! Like pregnancy cravings. I put this all down to progesterone as it's very high in early pregnancy and high before periods. Hope you feel better soon.