Hi
Thank you for being here!
I am newbie. I suffered all sorts of menopause symptoms for five years before the menopause and most of them have continued since (I am now around 5 years postmenopausal). I am now desperate - I haven't slept through the night for ten years (literally, not once) and I now wake every 2-3 hours. In addition to that, about twice a week, when I wake at 3 or 4am, I will not be able to get back to sleep at all. As well as dealing with the short term symptoms - no heat control, itchy skin, irritable, anxiety, low mood, triedness, etc - I now also have to deal with the effects of my decade-long insomnia - my short-term memory has deterioriated, I am constantly tired and irritable and I have continuous brain fog. I was prescribed HRT a few years ago, but was too anxious about the risks, to take it. Now I have got to the stage where I am so worried about my symptoms because my quality of life is really impaired, that I can see that for me the benefits outweigh the risks and I have an appointment with my GP in a few weeks. I am committed to giving HRT a three month trial, because I now feel I have absolutely nothing to lose.
I have two questions, which I'd appreciate your help with, please:
1. Do any of you have experience of starting HRT in post-menopause and was it effective?
2. Have any of you suffered with a dry throat/thirst? I have never seen this mentioned as a menopause symptom, but as it started at the same time as the other symptoms and as we know dryness in other areas is a symptom, I wondered if it was?
Thank you, in advance!