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[Evian Rose]

I'm at my wits end. Not had a period since 46. Now 53. Moods swings awful. Feel really down & miserable & awful headaches & migraines increases. Can anyone recommend natural remedy to take. I went to GP who was unsupportive & said it will pass & stick with it & this was a woman! Thanks

[peri]

I tried all sorts of natural remedies Evian Rose and nothing worked for me except hrt, have you considered it?  The patches and gels are very good and protect your heart and bones long term.  Sounds like your oestrogen is very low, replacing it will help with your mood.  It worked for me immediately.  Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions x

[bramble]

HRT doesn't always help with mood and I think really should only be used for the commoner menopause problems. Have you thought about having another chat, possibly with a different Gp and possibly start a course of anti-depressants? Do you think the increase in migraines could be stress related?
Over the counter St Johns Wort can help with minor depression.

Bramble

[peri]

Hrt helped with my mood which began to be very up and down as I became peri menopausal (around 47/48) I'm now 53 like you Evian Rose. Hormones are precursors to our moods and if they become unbalanced this in turn can affect our moods.  I knew without doubt my issue was cyclical as it manifested itself in quite severe pmt, yet within 24 hours of getting a bleed I would feel better and in fact my old self again.  I think what I'm saying is the key is to know yourself.  Of course for long term mental health issues it is a completely different thing and then anti depressants can be a life saver (I always think of people like Virginia Woolf who no doubt would be saved had she lived today).  However, if you're symptoms appeared at or around peri/menopause then they should be able to be tackled with hrt.  I was one of the lucky ones (as it can take a few attempts to find one which suits), I was prescribed evorel 50 patches and felt better within 24 hours.  I wish everyone on here needing support could be as fortunate as I was, but you can only find out by trying it.  I wish you well x

[CLKD]

As a long-term sufferer of depression and anxiety, I think that regardless of what might be causing those symptoms i.e. hormonal or not: that appropriate medication should be offered.  Because it is designed to ease depression and anxiety which 4 me are 2 different illnesses.  Had my GP offered me HRT when I presented with depression I would have felt fobbed off and not listened to. 

Perhaps keep a mood/food/symptom diary and see whether there is a pattern to your feelings?  I have found deep breathing helpful, some ladies go swimming, cycling, walking; others use Yoga. 

Once symptoms have eased then HRT can be discussed either along side or instead of the above.

[Hurdity]

Hi Evian Rose

 

Sorry to hear about your headaches and mood swings. Are you also experiencing flushes and sweats or did you in the past, or maybe you are taking medication already which prevents flushes and sweats?

How dare your GP be unsupportive - her time will come! Heavens if you live at least into your 80's then you could be post-menopausal for 40 years!!!!

You went through menopause  five or six years earlier than the natural average age of menopause so in view of this and your symptoms in your position I would  consider HRT both to help with symptoms and to give some protection to your heart and bones. The sooner you start this the better because it is best started within 10 years of menopause for optimal benefit according to current views.

I'm not sure what you mean by natural remedies (herbal?) but there are several "natural" types of HRT - by that I mean they are "bio-identical - or body-identical - the same molecular structure as those our own body makes. These are oestrogen ( estradiol as patches pills or gel) and progesterone (as utrogestan capsules). The main difficulty some women find with HRT when post-menopause is the progesterone and some women like myself continue to take HRT on a cycle ( to give a withdrawal bleed - even though I'm in my 60's) - to minimise side effects.  The other side of the coin is that if you take continuous combined hRT you get the same amount of both hormones every day so no fluctuations and fewer mood swings. There is also a tablet hRT called Femoston which is as natural as you can get from a tablet combi HRT ( the progestogen part is almost like our own progesterone). Some women find they get migraines from tablet HRT so patches are preferred.

Think of it as replacing the hormones your body would have made naturally until age 52, rather than something unnatural or medication.

I hope this has given you something to think about - do read as much as you can about HRT (treatments tab above)  and also the health tabs (osteoporosis, heart disease) which are very informative. Anyway if you need any help with this please do ask more questions - but at your age for bone/heart protection - I would consider HRT.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

The Change is natural  as are many of the conditions and illnesses that humans suffer from.  It's the Trial and Error, trying to find solutions that can be so tiring  .........

I would hate to have regular headaches of any kind, I take pain relief immediately if one threatens.  Mood swings were eased by eating little and often.