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[CLKD]

Also men are tested at 55 for aortic Aneurysm - DH's Dad had an operation after careful monitoring during the 1980s/90s.

[Mary G]

Starfish, can you afford to at least have one private consultation with a menopause specialist who actually knows what they are talking about?  It was probably cost about £300 buy worth every penny in my opinion.  I don't think you are going to get anywhere with these people, they are just wasting your time and stalling - I sometimes wonder if they do it deliberately because they can't cope with the crashing system.  Menopause clinics are all over subscribed with very long waiting lists.

If you consult a menopause specialist they can write to your doctor with their recommended prescription and you can then get your medication on the NHS.  I'm sure they would prescribe testosterone.

You are young with a family history of osteoporosis and heart disease so you need a higher dose of oestrogen and should probably be aiming for something in the 400s at least but a proper specialist will be able to guide you on that. 

It's a pity you didn't get on with Oestrogel because you would probably achieve better results with it, particularly if you increased the dose and then split it by 12 hours to get an even spread ie two pumps in the morning and two punps at night.

[Starfish]

Thanks Mary, Ayesha and CKLD

I think it might be time to go to a private clinic, cost is obviously an issue. From my experience the nhs seems to adopt a one size fits all approach. I had this experience with infertility treatment through the nhs too, I found out I had low ovarian reserve at 33 and I struggled with infertility for 6 years and in the end up I got got pregnant without any treatments (none of these worked for low reserves) at 39.
My mum was taken off HRT by her Gp, which was common back then as a consequence of the WHI study. She did have underlying health conditions but she was even more beset by health issues in the years after she stopped HRT. Bladder, heart and bone health which affected her quality of life and mobility for many years before her passing.
Oestrogel was absorbing ok, however I had terrible mood swings and a massive weight gain, without changing my diet or exercise.

[bombsh3ll]

I agree with Mary's comments, and whilst I didn't know your mum, I'm sure she would want you to get the help that she didn't, even if you have to pay for a consultation.

When someone has an early menopause at 40 or 42 and goes untreated, if they develop osteoporosis or premature cardiovascular disease it isn't because they weren't diligent enough with their diet or exercise, the evidence is very clear that a healthy lifestyle is necessary but not sufficient. This is why there are very clear and very strong guidelines now about treating this group of women adequately.

In the meantime it might be worth revisiting the gel, which I understand was therapeutic but the concern was weight gain.

Menopause itself can lead to weight gain and changes in body composition, so it may be that you would have gained some weight anyway, and another possibility is fluid retention. This could be mitigated by pairing it with a diuretic progestin such as drospirenone (Slynd).

[CLKD]

There is also the daisy website for 'early' menopause. 

MayB ring round the various menopause clinics to find out what the waiting list might be and how much a private appt would cost.  Also, could U take a cancellation appt should someone not need it?