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[Clovie]

Please, can anyone recommend or know of any private specialists with an particular understanding of late menopause?

I have been having an awful time with my NHS over the last few years due to late menopause and I feel like I am always under repeated veiled threat of having my HRT stopped. This is ruining my life. I need to be proactive.

I do not wish to stop HRT, my periods have never stopped so I will likely still suffer the terrible symptoms I had before HRT - and I have a strong desire to continue it for the benefits for my cardiovascular system, bone health, possible potential to prevent dementia etc. 

I am willing to pay to see someone who is open to the idea that women can menstruate beyond the text book age.
 I appreciate that I am late in years but it feels like my doctors just do not believe I could possibly still be menstruating despite regular defined predictable bleeds with PMT preceding them, no breakthrough between or any other red flags..

I am in Scotland but I am willing to travel anywhere in the UK.

Thank you.

 

[sheila99]

Not what you asked but is mirena a possibility? It will normally stop bleeding even for younger women who are still menstruating. If you don't bleed presumably your GP will carry on giving oestrogen? I've had one since Jan and for me it's been great, no bleeding after the first 6 weeks and no side effects unlike utro.
  You could have a look at the info on the Newson website and see if it says anything about meno age. I would expect them to believe you and you can have an appointment by video so no need to travel. I think many do these appointments now but I'm not sure who else to suggest. Perhaps Dr Curry who runs this site? Think she might be in Edinburgh but I'm sure Emma the administrator can give you more information.

[Clovie]

Not what you asked but is mirena a possibility? It will normally stop bleeding even for younger women who are still menstruating. If you don't bleed presumably your GP will carry on giving oestrogen? I've had one since Jan and for me it's been great, no bleeding after the first 6 weeks and no side effects unlike utro.
  You could have a look at the info on the Newson website and see if it says anything about meno age. I would expect them to believe you and you can have an appointment by video so no need to travel. I think many do these appointments now but I'm not sure who else to suggest. Perhaps Dr Curry who runs this site? Think she might be in Edinburgh but I'm sure Emma the administrator can give you more information.

Thank you Sheila, if Emma COULD kindly give more information on Dr Currie, or any other suggestions, that would be super helpful 

Sadly, I don't think Mirena would work for me because I am quite badly progesterone intolerant having tried several different synthetic ones which all made me very ill. I was given Utrogestan in the first place because of this.  Its not 100% but it is the better by fat of any I've tried.
However I am in such a state of despair at the thought of having my HRT stopped Id be willing to try it POSSIBLY if I could get it removed at short notice if it affected me like the synthetic prog used to. Also Id need to be sedated for insertion and removal due to qwuite bad health anxiety and don't know if that is even an option... 

We have family in Straford Upon Avon, where Louise Newsom is so that may be an option

[sheila99]

I think levonorgestrel is also in femseven conti patches so perhaps you could see if you're ok with them before committing to a mirena? Which progestogens have you tried so far? Perhaps someone could suggest something different. Have you tried using prog intolerance to justify staying on a sequi regime? The consultant I saw at the NHS meno clinic agreed to me staying on utro sequi at 63 because I was intolerant to it (or perhaps she'd worked out I was going to use it that way regardless of what she said  ). If they'll agree to a sequi regime the problem of 'unexpected bleeding' goes away. We have a nurse who will remove a mirena at short notice if required, perhaps your surgery does too.

[Clovie]

I think levonorgestrel is also in femseven conti patches so perhaps you could see if you're ok with them before committing to a mirena? Which progestogens have you tried so far? Perhaps someone could suggest something different. Have you tried using prog intolerance to justify staying on a sequi regime? The consultant I saw at the NHS meno clinic agreed to me staying on utro sequi at 63 because I was intolerant to it (or perhaps she'd worked out I was going to use it that way regardless of what she said  ). If they'll agree to a sequi regime the problem of 'unexpected bleeding' goes away. We have a nurse who will remove a mirena at short notice if required, perhaps your surgery does too.

Ooooh I forget their names as it was about 11 years ago but I tried a few different ones and then tried long cycle even though I was only about 50, but the prog phase drove me crazy every time.
It was at that time that the menopause clinic decided i should have utrogestan, and that has been bearable for me. That is why I am terrified of having it stopped I still feel it but not as bad. I also get/always got bad PMT and was told that I was reacting to my own natural progesterone, so I do agree I am prog intolerant for sure.
My issue with the Mirena is, if I get it and it affects me badly I am not able to just stop the tablets like I can with the Utrogestan. Plus I've been told Utrogestan is the least risky for breast cancer too.

I used to be on sequi but I could never tie up my own cycle with the withdrawal bleeds so I kind of gave up, which meant I ended up having both a lot of the time which led to me being quite anaemic without me realising.  That's why they changed me to continuous, plus I was 59 by that time.

[Emma]

If you look at the very top of the page on the black menu bar, it says Specialists.
This goes to:
https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/
where you can search for a specialist in your area.

Emma

[Clovie]

If you look at the very top of the page on the black menu bar, it says Specialists.
This goes to:
https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/
where you can search for a specialist in your area.

Emma

Thank you Emma 

Is there a way to search for someone who has a special interest in late menopause?
Or, please, do you know of any who I might approach?

Thank you for your time. 

[sheila99]

Just another thought, can you tell when you start producing your own progesterone? I get sore boobs from it so I was able to start utro then so it synched with my own cycle and the bleed came a couple of days after finishing it.

[Clovie]

Just another thought, can you tell when you start producing your own progesterone? I get sore boobs from it so I was able to start utro then so it synched with my own cycle and the bleed came a couple of days after finishing it.

Hi again, no, not really. I do occasionally on some of my 'cycles' get sore boobs but not always so that couldn't be a useful thing for me. The only way I know I am going to come on in the next day or three is that I get outrageous PMT 

I never managed to synch it, I gave up in the end trying to synch, as although I was regular it was always a few days variance, also to make it more difficult I always bled before the end of the prog phase as well.
Never a withdrawal bleed 9as in starting after the 12 days of prog had finished) I asked about this once and was told I had my own fluctuating hormones affecting when I would bleed.
Does that make sense LOL, my head is mashed with all this!! 

[bombsh3ll]

I think it would be worth a consultation with Dr Newson's clinic online just for your peace of mind to know that you would have an option for obtaining private treatment should the NHS stop your prescriptions.

However later age at menopause is not pathological and doesn't in and of itself require a medical consultation.

If I were you I just wouldn't say anything else about still menstruating, I would just keep refilling your prescription and let them think you are taking the progesterone continuously.

I would however pay for a private ultrasound yearly to monitor your endometrium due to taking a long term sequential regime - actually I think it is a good idea for all women to have an annual pelvic scan - I am in Scotland too and go to ultrasound direct for my ovarian screening and this is much cheaper than private consultations.