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[P.Munch]

Hi there,

I've been on hrt for a year now, used to be patches but now gel and increased from 50mg to 75, now on 100mg.

Amongst other numerous symptoms, I struggle with talking sometimes. It seems to take a lot of effort and I feel almost like my mouth isn't working properly. Nobody else has noticed, but maybe because I tend to use "easy words" nowadays and cut short my sentences as I don't want to look like a plonker and also because it really stresses me out.

I've had loads of blood tests, head mri for ongoing vertigo and spoken to a few gp's loads of times, but they just tell me I'm stressed. I presume I'm stressed because I'm worrying about what my body is doing. I often think about MS, Parkinsons, MND etc and I find it really scary. I'm getting nowhere with any of it.

Does anyone else have this sort of issue? It's not cognitive, as I can think of the correct words, it's definitely a physical issue.

Thanks

[bombsh3ll]

I can understand you being concerned by this, however it is reassuring that you have had a negative MRI - this would have a good chance of detecting something like MS or a stroke.

Whilst I can't give you definitive reassurance, this is not typical for a presentation of either Parkinson's or MND.

What about eating and drinking? If you are not having any problems here this is even more reassuring.

Did you also have a lumbar puncture alongside the MRI to exclude MS?

Assuming all investigations are negative, I would check adequate absorption of the estradiol, however this can be difficult to gage with plasma estradiol levels on gel, and sometimes secondary markers such as FSH or SHBG can be helpful but have not been clinically validated.

Testosterone can also be really worthwhile considering in the context of neurological symptoms, although you would have to say is for libido get it on the NHS.

[CLKD]

Vertigo is the pits!  Have U been offered support for this, there is a specific manovere [sp] but can't remember what it's called  . Dierdre mentioned this: Epley Maneuver : in another thread.

I often muddle words or need to repeat myself because I believe that I don't speak properly. 

[juliaC]

I've had speech difficulties here and there in the last 2 years.  They have really worried me.  One of the symptoms is that I say 2 words rather than one, because both would have fitted the sentence.  Obviously I try to stop this consciously but then wonder why my brain is offering up alternative words and hasn't decided ahead of me speaking!

And yes OP, sometimes feeling like speech is difficult physically.  It has come and gone.

I know a stroke is an important thing to be aware of, it's just the symptoms are not significant enough, they fall a bit short for that. I will be mentioning it to my gp though.  Strangely I've noticed quite a few people making similar errors since I've started doing it and I did wonder if the covid virus might have done this to many of us.

There's a you tube video where Stephen Bartlett interviews a doctor or menopause specialist.  Somewhere in the middle of that interview she mentions a type of menopause 'aphasia.'  This made me feel heaps better because for most women those symptoms and other cognitive symptoms will improve back, or near back to prior baseline (sadly for some they won't but this is a minority).  I wish you well OP.

[Katejo]

Hi there,

I've been on hrt for a year now, used to be patches but now gel and increased from 50mg to 75, now on 100mg.

Amongst other numerous symptoms, I struggle with talking sometimes. It seems to take a lot of effort and I feel almost like my mouth isn't working properly. Nobody else has noticed, but maybe because I tend to use "easy words" nowadays and cut short my sentences as I don't want to look like a plonker and also because it really stresses me out.

I've had loads of blood tests, head mri for ongoing vertigo and spoken to a few gp's loads of times, but they just tell me I'm stressed. I presume I'm stressed because I'm worrying about what my body is doing. I often think about MS, Parkinsons, MND etc and I find it really scary. I'm getting nowhere with any of it.

Does anyone else have this sort of issue? It's not cognitive, as I can think of the correct words, it's definitely a physical issue.

Thanks

I read your questions a few days ago and they really rang a bell with me. I am on hrt too but hadn't attributed this effect to menopause at all. 3 years ago I suffered a sudden sensory neural hearing loss (SSNHL) which brought with it tinnitus,  hearing loss and intermittent throbbing around my left ear. I paid for an MRI at the time because the GP ignored my request for one but nothing wrong was found.
Much more recently (early September) I started getting symptoms very like yours. I knew what I wanted to say but my mouth/tongue didn't want to form the words. No one has noticed anything different or commented on any difference in my speech. It happened slightly while I was giving a Powerpoint presentation on Zoom. My colleague who was listening didn't notice anything and no one else has observed anything. I found your account quite reassuring. I had been wondering whether I had a type of migraine because I sometimes get the sensation together with a one sided headache but I don't have severe symptoms which keep me out of action for days.