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[TraceyTracey]

I use two Evorel 50 patches per week and have the Merina coil fitted.  I get a little hot when busy from time to time but cannot say I have hot flushes..  sometimes I wake in the morning wearing a damp t shirt... but nothing I cannot cope with.    I have had it much worse trying to balance out the hormones.   

I work full time and attend the gym 3 x per week doing weight training and do an educational evening class 4 hours one evening a week.. so my energy levels seem ok.  When I was not taking HRT I was not doing as much as I am now. I avoided anything over and above work for a very long time however.     I have found now the Estrogen and Merina seem ok - I push myself And am able to do more.    I do drop off to sleep around 9-30 in front of the TV for 10 or 20 mins here and there, I did not do that when I was younger - age 49 now and been peri since about 40.

My memory is awful, I forget people's names, I cannot say things that I know are on the tip of my tongue or that I definitely used to know or should know.   Quizzes on TV are the worst, all stuff I know in my younger years I could have answered easily.   This is not the case for my husband, memory all in tact.

Is this all down to peri and menopause?   I also get tongue tied, the words don't come out right sometimes.   I could not say progesterone correctly yesterday.... though it's been something I have talked and read about a lot over the past 10 years.   I most definitely know how to say it  .   There are times when I am sharp too however but not in the evenings or at weekends when I relax.  At work I have a habit of having 3 coffees from ground beans in the AM and take B vits and eat well to keep my energy levels up - it seems to work.   Sometimes I avoid saying too much in discussions at work or socially  if I know I am flagging, because I get tongue tied.  I also find myself missing parts of the conversation at work in particular, I write a lot of notes so I can refer back... but then I miss key things that are said because I cannot concentrate on what people are saying for very long.  I find my self zoning out and have to remind myself to listen.     I get by at work but I do know my job and have experience.

What am I missing... how can I get my sharpness back?  Is it testosterone maybe?

Thanks all 

[TraceyTracey]

I am sorry.... what your going through sounds worse than me... I do hope your scan results are ok, sending you a big hug x

I can get by with lists and coffee and vitamins..... oh and pre workout on Saturdays to give me a push to train.   I always go because my husband always goes so he pushes me and I am conscious I need to retain and build muscle to keep me fit and strong which will help me through this.    My routine is the same week by week so I know how much I can cope with, very little extra is added.   My husband thinks I am busy and do a lot.    My brain fog sort of comes and goes... I can hold it together at work, but missing pieces of information is embarrassing at times because I ask a question in a meeting and I cannot tell you how many times someone says “we just went through that - it's .....” that's embarrassing for me.      Let's put it this way I would be higher up in my organisation by now if it wasn't for the anxiety that made me withdrawn from time to time due to peri in the past 10 yrs. Also I had no HRT at the start of peri because I had no idea what was happening to me and then after much research by me, I asked the doc to put me on HRT.    Then there was time spent juggling around of HRT trying to keep it level.   I run a team by the skin of my teeth, if I am totally honest with you   

I don't feel dizzy and I am not sure if I am post meno yet.  The Merina has reduced my periods to nothing.   How do I definitely know.... the last time the Merina was out I bled - 14 months ago.

I feel for you, do you work and do activities on top?

Best, Tracey 

[TraceyTracey]

Thank you.   I am going back to work on Monday and have not had the coffees for nearly two weeks... it's good advice - so I will try going without. I just have to walk past that machine.... Let's hope I can function ha ha 

I can still multi task at times, I actively try to clear more tasks at once at home so I can have more down time.   At work I try to concentrate on one thing at once, however my mind wanders and I find myself going back and forth between tasks and not clearing things as quick as I should or used to.  Lists are my saviour, I could not survive without them.

Maybe I am doing a lot, but I found I was holding back for so long due to peri and no HRT, then trying to level it that I feel I missed out on a lot and those years are lost.   Also conscious I am not getting any younger and the weight training has made me feel stronger and good about myself after feeling older than my years for a very long time.   Hope that makes sense.

It's just the brain fog, perhaps I am still Peri meno?   

Do others feel the brain gets sharper after menopause?

I recall my Nan wizzing through crosswords and being super sharp in her 60-80s   

Does testosterone help keep the brain sharp ?

[Erika28]

Estrogen may help memory, prevent or slow down decline. I suspect a little more estrogen would help. With so little E, taking T might have some undesirable virilizing effects.

[Erika28]

Research in basic neuroscience has provided biological plausibility for the hypothesis that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) would protect against cognitive aging in healthy women. The weight of the evidence from randomized controlled trials of estrogen and cognition in women shows that this hormone preferentially protects verbal memory in postmenopausal women, whereas findings from observational studies are less consistent and show a more diffuse effect of estrogen on a range of cognitive functions. There is fairly consistent evidence from epidemiological studies that ERT significantly reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in women. On the other hand, findings from controlled treatment trials of women diagnosed with probable AD failed to show that physiological doses of ERT ameliorate existing deficits in cognitive functioning and/or prevent further deterioration in memory that inevitably occurs in these women over time. Finally, an accumulating body of evidence is beginning to suggest that the immediate postmenopausal period may constitute a critical window for treatment with ERT that maximizes its potential to protect against cognitive decline with aging and/or to reduce the risk of AD. (Endocrine Reviews 24: 133–151, 2003)

Source: Endocrine Reviews 24(2):133–151, doi: 10.1210/er.2001-0016

Findings from basic neuroscience have elucidated mechanisms of action of estrogen on the structure and function of brain areas known to be critically involved in memory. Controlled clinical studies of the administration of estrogen to postmenopausal women have found that estrogen enhances verbal memory and maintains the ability to learn new material. These findings are supported by those from investigations of healthy, elderly, women and by results of a study in which younger women received a gonadotropin releasing-hormone analog that suppressed ovarian function. The specificity of the estrogenic effect on cognitive functions is consistent with known sex differences in cognitive abilities and suggests that, in adulthood, estrogen serves to activate neural pathways established under the influence of this steroid hormone during prenatal life.

Source: https://doi.org/10.3181/00379727-217-44200

[TraceyTracey]

Testosterone is supposed to help, yes.
Though weight training would naturally increase your t levels.
Swap caffeine for decaf!
It sounds to me like you might be pushing yourself a bit too hard.
Also try taking magnesium threonate.

And try taking probiotics. There's plenty of evidence supporting the gut/brain connection now. An inflamed or stressed stomach will affect gut flora. Biokult is good.

Thank you Birdy, I will start the Decaf and take your points on board.   I could definitely sleep more that's for sure.


Good luck with your results 👍🏼

[TraceyTracey]

Estrogen may help memory, prevent or slow down decline. I suspect a little more estrogen would help. With so little E, taking T might have some undesirable virilizing effects.

Hi Erica

Do you think I am not taking enough Estrogen ?  I am on the same low dose I have been on for 5 + years.  My Doctor has gone from the practise and another has taken over who seems less interested in Menopause.  I was lucky in that my first Doc was going through it anyway and was researching. 

If I introduced T would I have to take more Estrigen?

Thanks 

[Alicess]

Whether exogenous testosterone  converts to estrogen in women is not clear yet and it will act differently in each person.

From my own experience, I have exactly the same problems regarding memory and focus, and from research I've read low estrogen can cause the symptoms you describe.

Poor memory and concentration started when I stopped taking BCP

DIM 'can act on more potent forms of estrogen and convert them into less potent forms; this conversion reduces the overall effects of estrogen in the body.'

https://examine.com/supplements/diindolylmethane/

[Erika28]

Hi Erica

Do you think I am not taking enough Estrogen ?

 

Yes.
 

If I introduced T would I have to take more Estrigen?

I wouldn't just yet. First, fix the estrogen. This should help with many things, including memory.

[Erika28]

Evorel Conti releases only a small amount of estradiol daily, 50 micrograms. Now consider that during a menstrual cycle, the woman produces 60-150 micrograms during the first phase of her cycle, 200-400 micrograms around ovulation, and 150-300 micrograms during the luteal phase and 50-70 micrograms just before menstruation (i.e. PMS!).
Source: N Engl J Med, Vol. 346, No. 5, January 31, 2002

Typically, a woman feels best the first half of her cycle, when 60-450 micrograms is produced daily, without any progesterone.

Hence, it may well be the estradiol is insufficient, especially considering there is a progestogen included in the patch, norethisterone acetate, which is anti-estrogenic.

I suspect you are feeling better because the progestogen component is removed. This makes most sense considering what the research has so far found.

Returning to the above statistics and cyclical production of estradiol, an average of 225 micrograms is produced every cycle with progesterone only starting to having an enhanced effect half of the cycle. This implies about 200 micrograms of estradiol daily would duplicate this, with either a progestogen given every 14 days OR less progestogen daily and continuously, or a stronger dose given just 7 days. This also means most women are being underdosed and the progestogen-estrogen ratio is too high.

[Erika28]

In regards to the above and the "progestogen" problem, John Studd writes:

The usual duration of progestogen is 14 days but if the extra risk to the breasts from progestogen is confirmed it would be sensible to reduce the duration to 7–10 days. A shortened course is useful in women with progestogen intolerance.

AND

Patients with hormone-responsive mood disorders should have a higher dose of transdermal estrogens either by patch, gel or implant. As these patients are often progestogen-intolerant, short cycles of progestogen are permissible rather than the orthodox 14-day cycles.

Source: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Current_Management_of_the_Menopause.html?id=WD7S7677xUUC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

[TraceyTracey]

In regards to the above and the "progestogen" problem, John Studd writes:

The usual duration of progestogen is 14 days but if the extra risk to the breasts from progestogen is confirmed it would be sensible to reduce the duration to 7–10 days. A shortened course is useful in women with progestogen intolerance.

AND

Patients with hormone-responsive mood disorders should have a higher dose of transdermal estrogens either by patch, gel or implant. As these patients are often progestogen-intolerant, short cycles of progestogen are permissible rather than the orthodox 14-day cycles.

Source: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Current_Management_of_the_Menopause.html?id=WD7S7677xUUC&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

Thank you Erica... it makes more sense now.   I am going to talk to my doctor and increase my Patch dose for now and see what happens.  Thank you