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[KarineT]

Hi Everyone,

Is it normal to have low mood on an almost daily basis?   This is one of my symptoms along with dizzinness and lethargy.  I hardly get any hot flushes.  When I had PMT, I would feel low but the next day it would lift.  With menopause it seems to last longer.

I am not sure if I've recently entered menopause but my last period was in January 2020.  I hope that I have and that I'm not still perimenopausal.  I've heard that periods can stop for a few months and then come back 6 months later.  I am not taking HRT as I'm worried I may become dependent on it.  I want to go to a menopause clinic though.

Any of you going through a similar phase?

Thanks

Karine

[CLKD]

Hi!  Hormone Replacement Therapy.  As oestrogen levels drop muscles may become lax = aches and pains; plus the body may become dry, inside and out.  The body doesn't become dependant ........

Low mood - hormones.  My periods waxed and waned for years.  Regular then a gap: then several or 1 then a gap ......... then stopped. 

Maybe keeping a mood/food/symptom diary would be useful for you to decide which symptom you would like to ease.  To take to a Clinic should you choose to go that route.

[KarineT]

For me, I started missing a period in October 2016 then from 2017 until December 2018 I would get them every other month. From January to March 2019 I had a period every month.  Then from April 2019 to January 2020 it would be every 3 months.  May 2020 has started but still no periods.  I hope this is the beginning of the 12 months which will indicate that the menopause has taken place.  I hope that my periods won't come back in 6 months time.

[sheila99]

Umm... you make hrt sound like valium or heroin. It isn't. Hrt is merely replacing the hormones you used to make yourself and no longer do in sufficient quantity. The symptoms you have are because you are deficient in oestrogen. Don't assume they'll go away when you're in meno (one year without a bleed), for some people they do but for many they don't. Hardly surprising as oestrogen deficiency is for the rest of your life. If you were deficient in eg vit d or iron you'd take a replacement so why are you so against replacing oestrogen? Yes, low mood, lethargy, bad temper, insomnia, anxiety etc etc are common symptoms and may last for years. Perhaps have a look at the Advice for Husbands pined post. It's very much a personal decision to take hrt but don't refuse it because you think you'll become dependent on it. Quality of life is important, there is no need to suffer. My life was hardly worth living without it, I turned from a cheerful, active person to a snarling, miserable couch potato.

[CLKD]

...... and then back sheila99 ;-)

[KarineT]

I understand what HRT is for and the fact that when estrogen and progesteron are no longer produced by the ovaries, the body is depleted. and that is, unfortunately, for the rest of a woman's life.  She will never have the same amount of these hormones as before but, surely, once in postmenopause the symptoms cannot continue forever thereafter because, by which time, the body should have adjusted itself to a lower level of these hormones or does it mean it's going to be miserable for the rest of your life if you stop taking HRT?  I know a few postmenopausal ladies who haven't taken HRT and they feel fine. I wonder why symptoms should persist in some women, and if so, they can't last forever and ever.  As for HRT, I am worried that if I start taking it and stop, the symptoms will come back with a vengeance and if I want to go back on it, the doctor might refuse to prescribe it as it has happened to some ladies on this forum. By the way, HRT is not meant to be taken forever. I am still going to see a menopause specialist but not in the private sector as I cannot afford it. I think there must be some natural alternative to HRT.

[CLKD]

Menopause is natural.  It can however deplete the body too quickly, hence the need for HRT.  Some ladies use it successfully for years, then take a break to see where the body has got.  Some find they have got through and no longer require treatment, others decide to re-start.  It can throw up un-bearable symptoms which are eased by HRT but it can take a time to find one that suits. 

However, many GPs won't encourage HRT in the first place ..... some suggest that ladies should stop at age 55, 60, 65 or won't consider a lady re-starting if she needs to continue with treatment to ease symptoms.

The ovaries on the whole shut down gradually but some may continue putting out a small amount of oestrogen ..... do read the threads about Vaginal Atrophy  which can strike at any time ........... even 4 those of us that haven't required HRT.   That began for me with urine infection-type symptoms but samples came back from the Lab. with no growth, my GP suggested appropriate treatment.  Which worked.  The idea with VA is to manage symptoms ....... 4 me it was like razor blades    up there.

Some ladies require HRT as well as anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication.  Each one of us is individual.  How bad do your symptoms make you feel - anxiety 4 me was the worst especially early in the morning.

If HRT is required for ever, then why stop?  Other chronic health conditions are 'natural' but require life-time treatments.  Quality of Life is important.  Read round and decide what might suit 4 how you feel now?

[sheila99]

...... and then back sheila99 ;-)

Oh I can still snarl...    especially when short of sleep... Only 7 to go now then 😴😴😴

[KarineT]

So HRT doesn't help with anxiety and low mood?  For me, I would say my symptoms are mild to moderate but at times they can last for 2 two weeks and it's worrying.  When I get anxious it's like fear with the classic butterflies in the stomach.  As for low mood I feel sad and feel like crying.  At the moment I am using the Bach flower remedy and it seems to help a bit.  If it gets worse I'll have to think about something else to take.

[KarineT]

So CLKD,  didn't you take HRT?  How did you manage your anxiety then?

[CLKD]

I haven't required HRT other than appropriate vaginal atrophy treatment.

I have had anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication since 1988.

[KarineT]

So did the menopause cause anxiety and depression or were they pre-existing conditions? I think low mood and depression aren't the same.

[Mary G]

KarineT, the symptoms you describe sound like low oestrogen.

Oestrogen acts like a control centre for many bodily functions including the brain so when levels fall significantly, all sorts of things can start to go wrong.   I believe Dr Louise Newson has a very comprehensive list of all menopause symptoms on her website - it is a very long list.

The menopause comes in various stages ie immediate symptoms in perimenopause like hot flushes, night sweats and low mood and then the post menopause phase where you have the risk of developing problems caused by years of oestrogen deprivation like osteoporosis, high blood pressure, bladder problems, VA.  So HRT is not just about relieving menopause symptoms, it's also about preventing long term health problems.

So it's a judgement call and only you can decide whether on not to use HRT.   I decided years ago that I would take it for life because I saw what years of oestrogen deprivation did to my mother and my aunt.

Perhaps you can do some research and then decide?

I hope that helps.

[CLKD]

Pre existing 4 me.  Low mood and depression certainly are not the same.  I had tears B4 a bleed even if a period wasn't due.  I also had rages 

[KaraShannon]

I didn't notice any low mood as my periods became erratic, but I did notice I was seeing the world differently.  Becoming more annoyed at injustices out there and stuff.  I mean I always was, but I noticed I began to see the whole world like that.  It didn't bring low mood though, it felt more like an awareness.  So I didn't ask for HRT for mood issues at all.  But when I started HRT I can say what happened that day.  Immediately I started to feel 'cool' as if I had a layer of mint all over my skin  I didn't ever get hot flushes, but I got that cool feeling.  I didn't notice much else except my joint pains had gone.  Later that day my energy increased and I noticed I wasn't so 'bogged down' with stuff mentally, I seemed to be able to zip through things in my mind again.  Just thought I'd share my experience.  My view is that menopause is an ageing process and the loss of oestrogen may trigger further domino effects.  Just my view and I know there's all kinds of evidence out there.  I felt it important to replace the oestrogen for the other purposes it's used in the body.