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[yaya]

Hi, needing some help, very grateful that forums like this exist to help.

I’m 53, never been on a contraceptive pill, still getting periods although the last couple of years have been experiencing lots of symptoms- the past few months have been challenging, I’m really struggling with mood, anxiety, impaired sleep, night sweats, hot flushes but they seem to be very cyclical- what to do? I’m questioning sequential HRT but never having had the pill, don’t know how my body will react? Do I try the combined pill?  Is that even a thing at my age? Really find it hard to talk about this stuff 😱

[CLKD]

Morning.  R U keeping a mood/food/symptom diary to chart progress?  Hopefully some1 with HRT knowledge will be along with advice.

We talk about any thing on the Forum ;-)!  Don't be shy.

[bombsh3ll]

You would really struggle to get the combined pill prescribed for the first time at 53.

Its licenced use as a contraceptive in the UK is up to age 50, however therapeutic use is off label anyway eg to manage conditions exacerbated by menstruation, but even then this often has to be obtained privately beyond 50 and generally is only continued where it has already been used long term, not started new.

There are multiple options available to you that would generally include estrogen replacement plus some form of progestogen, and you could choose between either a cyclical regimen or one which can eradicate bleeding.

I would suggest seeing your GP in the first instance, many are really well informed and helpful, but if you don't get anywhere then a menopause specialist would be the next step.

[MrsMitch]

Hello yaya, I was around your age when I began to have the same symptoms as you, but I didn't have mood/anxiety issues though.
In the end, because I couldn't function any longer because of the sleep problems and was so fed up of night sweats/hot flushes,  I contacted my GP. I had never been on the contraceptive pill either. She simply asked if I'd like to try hrt and prescribed me some. I took another 8 - 9 months to actually start taking it because I had only ever heard hrt = cancer. In the end my symptoms were so bad I had to take it.
It can take time to get the right one for you and it can take 3 months before it begins to work, but I would never go back to where I was before.
Then I found this site and you learn that the studies that claim hrt increases risk of cancer were flawed and you begin to relax and look at all the helpful info so you have the facts.
Hopefully your GP will be knowledge,  because not all are. But do plenty of reading here and learn what you need to know.

[yaya]

Thank you for the responses. I do need to see the gp, just had a bad response when the gp said anything over 45 is menopause and just shut me down

[CLKD]

Morning.  Is there a Nurse Practitioner at your Surgery?  She may have more knowledge than that GP.  U could also ask the Practice Manager whether there is a dedicated Menopause GP, apparently there is at our surgery but she keeps it quiet ;-)