Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Postmenopause => Topic started by: Rustysmum on November 05, 2022, 11:11:53 AM
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In early perimenopause one of my first symptoms was adrenaline surges in the night jolting me awake. More than a decade later they have suddenly made a reappearance along with some horrible days of intense anxiety for no reason. Can this happen? Anyone else had this? I am not on any form of HRT. Just come out of the blue. I had just started enjoying life again and now this is back and shattering my confidence. Any advice please?
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Yes it can happen. My symptoms got worse post menopause X
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Hello,
Tbh I cannot comprehend why this should happen after 5 years without period. One would have thought that these symptoms eventually stop. It's not good at all for anyone. You hormones, presumably, are very low and therefore cannot still be fluctuating. I am gobsmacked by this. Have you had your thyroid checked? Thyroid problems can cause anxiety issues as well.
Karine
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Hello,
Tbh I cannot comprehend why this should happen after 5 years without period. One would have thought that these symptoms eventually stop. It's not good at all for anyone. You hormones, presumably, are very low and therefore cannot still be fluctuating. I am gobsmacked by this. Have you had your thyroid checked? Thyroid problems can cause anxiety issues as well.
Karine
Thanks Karine. I had hoped it had all settled down and had thought I was through the worst. I wondered about thyroid - I have mine checked every 6 months as I was found to have Hashimoto’s antibodies during peri. Am hoping it is not that as I didn’t get on well with thyroxine when I was given a trial of it two years ago - horrid palpitations. I have booked in for a blood test on Tuesday in case it is though. Thank you for your response
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I think that we have to be careful not to attribute all symptoms to a menopausal cause, particularly years after reaching menopause. I would get a full blood work panel done to see if anything else is going on. Are you on any current medications that could be contributing to your symptoms? Any life stresses? Stress, itself, can wreak havoc on our bodies.
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I believe this is what has happened to me. Aged 59 and 5 years post meno and battling through things but ok with quality of life . Thought I was on the way out the other side. Then out of the blue last November started with GERD/stomach problems and IBS like things, dry eyes suddenly worsened, my hair started to go grey suddenly and started to shed, anxiety hit me and never ever had it before, aches pains, gynae issues, pelvic floor aches, skin dried out, start of VA which I managed to halt with vagifem, tinnitus and horrendous insomnia. it all just fell off a cliff!!!!! GP didn't think it was meno at my age and 5 years post meno.... Had a full lot of scans, scopes and blood tests and all normal... Could not identify any reason for it at all. Saw Newson clinic started HRT varieties and after initial improvements the side effects got too much. Stomach issues and anxiety can go hand and hand and have slowly ruined life!!! Trying Citalopram (AD) at the minute but side effects are brutal.. so see how it goes. I have contact with someone on a menopause support group who is younger than me in her 40s and in the same situation - 5 years after periods stopped it all hit her.... HRT not working nor ADs and she is struggling terribly with anxiety and depression. My new GP says she sees a lot of women who have problems like this some time post meno. So yes I do believe it can happen.
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?? a sudden drop in oestrogen ??
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Ange 63 I am so sorry you are going through this too, but thank you for reassuring me. I too have struggled with the aches and pains and had gynae issues earlier in the year too. Also seem to be getting cyclical spots again - what joy! I hope the Citalopram is helping you. Sorry the HRT didn’t work out. I was wondering whether that was worth reconsidering. Thanks again for your reply.
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Hello ladies
Rustysmum - I am sorry that you are suffering and I completely understand how this situation is impacting on your confidence. I am twelve years post meno and still experimenting with HRT because some symptoms have persisted. The uncertainty of never knowing how you will feel day to day is very unsettling.
I hope you find a resolution soon but could you please update us when you get your Thyroid test results. Many ladies have similar experiences to you and if menopause is not the cause then I am sure they would appreciate learning from you.
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
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Hi CLKD,
A sudden drop in oestrogen normally occurs at the time a woman reaches the menopause. I don't think it should happen when she is well past that stage. Five years down the line is quite a long time and I expect the oestrogen level to be quite low.
Karine
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Hello again ladies.
I remember my GP reassuring me that I would be all through the menopause three years after my last period. His opinion was one of the reasons that I resisted HRT for as long as I did. Unfortunately my ovaries/endocrine system/ Mother Nature had different ideas and in fact a new and distressing symptom emerged at the three year mark. I persevered for another six months before asking for HRT.
Years later and with various HRT trials behind me I am now trying to cope with a very low dose in the hope that it will be enough to return me to normality!
I wish we could just tell our bodies to behave according to logic but the evidence to the contrary is undeniable sadly.
Take care ladies.
K.
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Hi Kathleen,
I have to say that it probably doesn't happen to every single woman.
Some women, like yourself, are very, very unfortunate and the symptoms go on forever while some might sail through the menopause and find that they are fine after that. I would say, these women are through the other side. I sometimes feel that it's so unfair on those who suffer. I am trying to look for a reason why this is happening, wondering if it could be to do with our genetic make up. It would be nice if there could be some research about this but we might never find out, in our lifetime, the reason why some women suffer while others don't.
Can you remind me, were you experiencing emotional/psychological issues in your reproductive years?
Karine
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Hello KarineT
I would love to see some research into the various experiences of the menopause. Another GP told me that during his career he had noticed that about eighty percent of his patients were fine but about twenty percent suffered every symptom of the menopause.
During my reproductive years I didn't have any of the emotional problems that have appeared with the menopause. I am at a stage now where even on a low dose of HRT I have hardly any physical symptoms remaining ( so far that is, fingers crossed ) but I still experience the emotional ones. I am hoping that they will also resolve soon ( yep fingers crossed again lol).
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
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The ovaries do 'something' for some time following the cessation of periods and before they shrivel up completely, also a little oestrogen is produced in the fat cells and the adrenals so, yes, it's possible these are meno symptoms. I'd be tempted to wait for the results of your blood tests and if nothing shows up try low dose hrt. If it doesn't improve things you can always stop again.
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I agree with Sheila99. A friend found her meno symptoms returned at age 68 ten years after her last period. After blood tests ruled out anything else she was put onto HRT and her symptoms of hot flushes and anxiety attacks disappeared. Now aged 72 she's determined to stay on HRT. Everyone is different but thankfully it seems the days of being denied HRT when we are a few years post meno are, hopefully, behind us.
Taz x
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Yes, absolutely. I'm 11 years post menopause and 2 years ago, started with hot flushes and really low mood. Never connected it to menopause. Thought i was well past that but i was seen by an endocrinologist who ran lots of tests, and I mean lots of tests!, and then confirmed that in her opinion the remaining circulating estrogen that we all have after menopause had taken a 'catastrophic drop' thus producing menopausal symptoms again. Apparently she assured me this does happen to some women. I sailed through my 'first' menopause with little more than a mood swing that id been happily taking a very small dose of antidepressant for 10 years for what they have classed 'menopausal mood' rather than depression, but this one has floored me. My GP told me she has found that if a patient had an easy menopause first time around then it can bite back again years later! No idea how true that is. Early morning anxiety, adrenaline rushes, palpitations, sleeplessness, cold chills when I stand up, a feeling that one of Harry Potter's Dementors has moved in to my head and is running the show!! My mood is so up and down and this from someone who has never suffered with depression or anxiety in my life. Don't feel like 'me' at all. No joy whatsoever. Started on HRT a year ago at the age of 62 but I was willing to try anything. So far HRT hasn't cracked the 'sweet spot' as my endocrinologist likes to call it and I remain 'flat' in mood. Anxiety comes and goes but is better. I see her again next week and have just this morning been for my estradiol bloods prior to my appointment with her so we shall see what she has up her sleeve next week. I think if we are going to continue with HRT, Im well overdue a 'tweek'. Testosterone has been mentioned too but only when she can see my estrogen is up to an acceptable level. It's a whole new world I had no idea existed!!
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... a feeling that one of Harry Potter's Dementors has moved in to my head and is running the show!!
I love this description, that's exactly how I felt in peri
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Hello Queeniebee and welcome to the forum.
I think your Meno woes will resonate with many ladies here!
I am not sure about 'first' menopause but I had very few problems in peri but one hell of a time since with post meno.
I am impressed that you have an endocrinologist plus a knowledgeable GP and I look forward to hearing how you get on at your appointment.
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
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Hello Queeniebee and welcome to the forum.
I think your Meno woes will resonate with many ladies here!
I am not sure about 'first' menopause but I had very few problems in peri but one hell of a time since with post meno.
I am impressed that you have an endocrinologist plus a knowledgeable GP and I look forward to hearing how you get on at your appointment.
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
hi queeniebee
im exactly the same.
im 4 yrs post meno hardly any symptoms in peri. however in february of this year my hormones fell off a cliff and boy did i know about it.
it seems as though your getting good care though xxx
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Hi Queenibee,
Well, I am gobsmacked by your post.
How much a big drop can the oestrogen cause when it's already very low in the first place? If that's the case, it cannot possibly be caused by the ovaries, as I believe they shrink in size and stop producing oestrogen altogerher. One would expect that there would be no more hormonal decline but stabilisaton at a very low level. The 'second' huge drop in oestrogen must be from the adrenal glands & fat cells then.
As for mood issues such as anxiety & low mood I always suffered from these during my reproductive years so for me it's not a new thing.
Now if symptoms don't disappear after a while, or if they make a reappearance after so many years postmeno then we are all condemned to live the rest of our lives miserably. I hope that it won't get worse for me 5 years down the line, but I suppose it's the luck of the draw.
Karine
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Hi Queenibee,
Well, I am gobsmacked by your post.
How much a big drop can the oestrogen cause when it's already very low in the first place? If that's the case, it cannot possibly be caused by the ovaries, as I believe they shrink in size and stop producing oestrogen altogerher. One would expect that there would be no more hormonal decline but stabilisaton at a very low level. The 'second' huge drop in oestrogen must be from the adrenal glands & fat cells then.
As for mood issues such as anxiety & low mood I always suffered from these during my reproductive years so for me it's not a new thing.
Now if symptoms don't disappear after a while, or if they make a reappearance after so many years postmeno then we are all condemned to live the rest of our lives miserably. I hope that it won't get worse for me 5 years down the line, but I suppose it's the luck of the draw.
Karine
hi karineT
sorry to cut in on your post but your spot on.
the second huge drop in estrogen for me was from estrogen from my adrenal glands and fat cells xx
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Just a quick update. Thankfully everything seems to have settled down a lot. My blood tests came back as all normal apart from Cholesterol so thyroid is fine in their opinion. ECG showed frequent PVCs which is what I was getting during peri so they have referred me for a 48 hr Holter monitor. But as things have improved a lot I don’t feel that is really necessary now. With the NHS under pressure they really don’t need me clogging the system! So am putting it down to a nasty blip in hormones, it sounds from your posts above that it is not that unusual and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t happen again. Thank you all so much for your words of reassurance and sympathy. It really helped me during a difficult time. I would say that I was very disappointed in my GP who didn’t offer anything to help me cope with the symptoms at all. Without a wonderful partner helping me through I dread to think what state I would be in.
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Just a quick update. Thankfully everything seems to have settled down a lot. My blood tests came back as all normal apart from Cholesterol so thyroid is fine in their opinion. ECG showed frequent PVCs which is what I was getting during peri so they have referred me for a 48 hr Holter monitor. But as things have improved a lot I don’t feel that is really necessary now. With the NHS under pressure they really don’t need me clogging the system! So am putting it down to a nasty blip in hormones, it sounds from your posts above that it is not that unusual and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t happen again. Thank you all so much for your words of reassurance and sympathy. It really helped me during a difficult time. I would say that I was very disappointed in my GP who didn’t offer anything to help me cope with the symptoms at all. Without a wonderful partner helping me through I dread to think what state I would be in.
Glad you're feeling better Rustysmum.
My partner too has been incredible and has helped me through some very, very dark days this year.
Take care xx
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Just a quick update. Thankfully everything seems to have settled down a lot. My blood tests came back as all normal apart from Cholesterol so thyroid is fine in their opinion. ECG showed frequent PVCs which is what I was getting during peri so they have referred me for a 48 hr Holter monitor. But as things have improved a lot I don’t feel that is really necessary now. With the NHS under pressure they really don’t need me clogging the system! So am putting it down to a nasty blip in hormones, it sounds from your posts above that it is not that unusual and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t happen again. Thank you all so much for your words of reassurance and sympathy. It really helped me during a difficult time. I would say that I was very disappointed in my GP who didn’t offer anything to help me cope with the symptoms at all. Without a wonderful partner helping me through I dread to think what state I would be in.
Glad you're feeling better Rustysmum.
My partner too has been incredible and has helped me through some very, very dark days this year.
Take care xx
Thank you disco girl!
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Hello again ladies.
Rustysmum - Thank you for the update and I am pleased that you are feeling better. It does appear that you have experienced a bit of a blip.
Take care.
K.