Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => New Members => Topic started by: Claire81 on April 11, 2024, 10:49:25 AM
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Hi there
So grateful for this support forum. I'm 43 next month.
So I started with morning sickness like nausea nearly a year ago. Only every now and then, didn't link it to cycle.
Then it started to become more regular and happen in the late afternoons as well. Eating helps.
The stress of this unpleasant feeling caused anxiety and I went to the Dr's in November. Diagnosed anaemic due to very heavy periods on and off for previous year. Told nausea was due to anaemia but had not suffered this when anaemic before. Had liquid iron for 2 months which of course can cause nausea.
Went back to Dr's with anxiety worse now as nausea still present and prescribed beta blockers for palpitations.
Periods have been heavy as described but regular apart from Febs which was 4 days instead of 7 and Marchs which came 9 days early. Libido is non existent.
I have nothing to be worried about yet wake up about 5am with feeling of dread and palpitations as if something really bad has happened/about to happen. But nothing specific.
Nausea is practically every day so can't link to cycle. Have done the FSH home tests and only one day was as dark as the control line, other days much lighter.
So could this nausea be hormonal / the start of peri even though I have no other symptoms to speak of?
I don't want it all being blamed on anxiety especially when the nausea came first.
Thanks all x
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I get waves of nausea, sounds like a lot of your symptoms could be perimenopausal !
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Anxiety, palpitations and low/absent libido can be meno symptoms too. Assuming your periods have been regular and now they aren't would also indicate early peri. Have a look at the Advice for Husbands pinned post that may show you other symptoms you hadn't associated with peri. Anxiety and insomnia were my worst, similar pattern to you but woke around 3am worrying about anything and everything. Completely cured by hrt though it did take 3 months. Don't rely on hot flushes, many never have them. Is there a gp/nurse at your surgery you could talk it through with?
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Hi there
So grateful for this support forum. I'm 43 next month.
So I started with morning sickness like nausea nearly a year ago. Only every now and then, didn't link it to cycle.
Then it started to become more regular and happen in the late afternoons as well. Eating helps.
The stress of this unpleasant feeling caused anxiety and I went to the Dr's in November. Diagnosed anaemic due to very heavy periods on and off for previous year. Told nausea was due to anaemia but had not suffered this when anaemic before. Had liquid iron for 2 months which of course can cause nausea.
Went back to Dr's with anxiety worse now as nausea still present and prescribed beta blockers for palpitations.
Periods have been heavy as described but regular apart from Febs which was 4 days instead of 7 and Marchs which came 9 days early. Libido is non existent.
I have nothing to be worried about yet wake up about 5am with feeling of dread and palpitations as if something really bad has happened/about to happen. But nothing specific.
Nausea is practically every day so can't link to cycle. Have done the FSH home tests and only one day was as dark as the control line, other days much lighter.
So could this nausea be hormonal / the start of peri even though I have no other symptoms to speak of?
I don't want it all being blamed on anxiety especially when the nausea came first.
Thanks all x
I did get occasional slight nausea during peri. Usually early. In the morning. It was never bad enough to stop me eating completely or to make me take time off work. I stopped once I reached meno.
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Thank you everyone. I have a Dr's appt on Monday to discuss the beta blockers. Will bring up peri menopause again. When mentioned last time that thought might be hormonal he just ignored me x
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I've had horrific nausea and motion sickness through my ongoing perimenopause.
It took a trial on the pill to work it out. Which didn't work for other reasons.
For me it's the spikes in estrogen that cause it. So hrt is a definite no for me at the moment.
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Hi Claire81,
I started to go to GP regularly (every 2 or 3 months) with wierd and not so wonderful symptoms from my mid 40s when I was super-fit and healthy. Palpitations and anxiety (which I'd never had before) being one of them. They tried to put me on ADs which I declined because I wanted to understand what was causing it (there was no obvious reason). It wasn't until a smear test when I was 47ish chatting to the very experienced sister who expressed zero doubt that I was perimenopausal. It was a lightbulb moment. I had never considered this or had any of the GPs suggested it. I was not having hot flushes or insomnia at the time so it was not considered by them. A few years later at 52 and along with a longer list of symptons I was refused HRT by a GP as I was not having hot flushes.
I would suggest keep a list/diary of any/all symptoms that you have or have had. Look at the huge list of menopause symptoms. They tend to come and go. And go armed with them to your GP.
It is important not to blame all symptoms on the menopause, as this can mask other conditions at our age. But just be aware of how powerful our fluctuating hormones are and how they affect so many parts of the body. Not just flushes. I was ignorant.
Good luck with your appointment.
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Hi Claire81,
I started to go to GP regularly (every 2 or 3 months) with wierd and not so wonderful symptoms from my mid 40s when I was super-fit and healthy. Palpitations and anxiety (which I'd never had before) being one of them. They tried to put me on ADs which I declined because I wanted to understand what was causing it (there was no obvious reason). It wasn't until a smear test when I was 47ish chatting to the very experienced sister who expressed zero doubt that I was perimenopausal. It was a lightbulb moment. I had never considered this or had any of the GPs suggested it. I was not having hot flushes or insomnia at the time so it was not considered by them. A few years later at 52 and along with a longer list of symptons I was refused HRT by a GP as I was not having hot flushes.
I would suggest keep a list/diary of any/all symptoms that you have or have had. Look at the huge list of menopause symptoms. They tend to come and go. And go armed with them to your GP.
It is important not to blame all symptoms on the menopause, as this can mask other conditions at our age. But just be aware of how powerful our fluctuating hormones are and how they affect so many parts of the body. Not just flushes. I was ignorant.
Good luck with your appointment.
I think it’s only by reading other ladies weird and wonderful (not) symptoms that has given me my light bulb moments. At no point was it ever suggested despite asking direct questions. I think symptoms come and go and some times there are several symptoms, some times one or two so you don’t always join the dots and they can be so random and odd too that many doctors just dismiss you.
It’s only recently that I’ve realised what was going on and how long it’s been going on….at least 10 years. 4 years ago lots more kicked off just as my cycle skipped a few beats and then since it stopped last year I feel a lot more accepting of it because I’m aware of what it is. I didn’t take hormones because I didn’t know what was going on and it was never suggested it could be the perimenopause and now at this stage I’m managing with the help of a few amazing supplements. I think we know so much more now and we can really help our daughters navigate this so much better than we did. Our generation is the voice and the change (forgive my pun), when the medical profession and the work place finally address the menopause in all it’s glory and help us to properly manage it and navigate it without major disruption I expect we’ll be thankful we rode this rollercoaster for the benefit of others heading in our direction.
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Propranolol 40mg at night eased the early morning cortisol surges which left me ferried as I woke so suddenly :'(
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Hello JosieJo55 and welcome to the forum.
I have a daughter but I am not so optimistic about the treatment for menopause when it is her turn. From reading the posts on this site over the years it appears that meno treatment is still haphazard and often ineffective.
I have lost count of the times that ladies have experienced HRT that had suddenly stopped working or a regime that was fine but then unexplained bleeding meant investigations and more changes.
Over the years I have seen NHS and private GPs and Consultants and heard different advice from them all. Due to spotting I have recently tried reducing my oestrogen again and this complies with my NHS Consultants wishes however a resurgence of horrible VA symptoms means I have to ignore that advice and increase again.
Unfortunately my long meno journey has left me very sceptical of meno services. My hope is that research and general interest in the menopause will eventually lead to better care for our daughters in the future but I feel that things are far from satisfactory at the moment.
PS Please forgive my moan but I have been awake since 4 am with burning and itching from VA so I am a little irritable lol.
Take care.
K.
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For those suffering with vaginal atrophy symptoms, do read the 'bladder issues' and any VA related threads. Appropriate localised treatment does ease symptoms of oestrogen loss in the vulval area, used as often as is required.
It's the Trial and Error that is so tiring for me :-\
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I totally understand your moan Kathleen. And I agree.
The lack of support for non low E in peri is diabolical here.
I'm glad I have two sons. :-*
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Hello again ladies.
CrispyChick - I have a son as well lol.
I hope his wife has an easier time than his mother!
Louise Newson and her clinic are all about maximising oestrogen, minimising progesterone and adding testosterone. When I first became a patient I was allocated the standard treatment of oestrogen only for three months and don't worry about the bleeding. The Dr. told me that I should have felt fantastic but I didn't and I didn't think she knew why ( had been post meno for some time so no oestrogen of my own to consider ).
Her lack of understanding about this reaction worried me because I thought NH were meno experts. From then on I was given more and more oestrogen and very little progesterone. Sometimes I did feel good but I also had massive dips in mood and panic attacks. I tried testosterone at her suggestion but that didn't have the magic effect either so I stopped using it.
I wonder if for some of us Oestradiol in HRT is just not right and we should be focusing on Estrone which is the hormone we continue to make and is much gentler. I think there are Estrone products available but I know nothing else about it. Just a thought.
I will carry on with my HRT regime for the time being even though it is far from perfect and clearly not the answer to my meno difficulties.
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
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What type of estrogen is in compounded products, does anyone know? Is that estrone or is it still estradiol?
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Not sure penguin. They may do both.
Kathleen. Nail on head there - perhaps. AngelaH told me on my 'acceptance' thread (I think) that she's was poisioned by estradiol but now uses estriol only.
I fully expect to be in that bracket - if I van ever get to a point of life E. >:(
So you're post meno with symptoms of low E, but added estradiol makes you feel bad??? Have a chat with angelaH xx
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I wonder if for some of us Oestradiol in HRT is just not right and we should be focusing on Estrone which is the hormone we continue to make and is much gentler. I think there are Estrone products available but I know nothing else about it. Just a thought.
K.
Hello Kathleen,
Sorry to hear you are suffering for so long. I spent 1,5 years trying different forms of estrogen: patches, spray and gel, but they all make me feel even more ill than I was. For the last 6 weeks I am on estriol and surprisingly I feel great on it. I can’t explain why it is happening, it looks like my body doesn’t need a lot of estrogen anymore to function properly and estradiol is too strong for me now. I am post meno and my last blood test was estradiol 34, which is very low. Despite having such low estrogen level, my body seems to be happy on low dose of weak estriol rather than on traditional HRT with strong estradiol. It doesn’t require using progesterone with it, is too weak to stimulate uterus. Although I use face serum as a source of estriol and it contains progesterone too.
I don’t know about estrone, this hormone is produced by fat cells in post meno, it likes fat, this is why post meno ladies have bigger waist ;D There is also some info on internet that estrone causes cancer. So I can’t really comment about estrone products, have never came across with it.
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I wonder if for some of us Oestradiol in HRT is just not right and we should be focusing on Estrone which is the hormone we continue to make and is much gentler. I think there are Estrone products available but I know nothing else about it. Just a thought.
K.
Hello Kathleen,
Sorry to hear you are suffering for so long. I spent 1,5 years trying different forms of estrogen: patches, spray and gel, but they all make me feel even more ill than I was. For the last 6 weeks I am on estriol and surprisingly I feel great on it. I can’t explain why it is happening, it looks like my body doesn’t need a lot of estrogen anymore to function properly and estradiol is too strong for me now. I am post meno and my last blood test was estradiol 34, which is very low. Despite having such low estrogen level, my body seems to be happy on low dose of weak estriol rather than on traditional HRT with strong estradiol. It doesn’t require using progesterone with it, is too weak to stimulate uterus. Although I use face serum as a source of estriol and it contains progesterone too.
I don’t know about estrone, this hormone is produced by fat cells in post meno, it likes fat, this is why post meno ladies have bigger waist ;D There is also some info on internet that estrone causes cancer. So I can’t really comment about estrone products, have never came across with it.
How much do you use Angela? I am tapering off estrogel, down to half a pump and exploring alternatives instead. Half a pump of estrogel seems fine for me, but I'd love to find an option of estrogen that is so low it doesn't require progesterone, or only a tiny bit! Are you the person who uses the Wellsprings cream by any chance?
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Penguin I use very small amount, Blissel gel for VA and wellsprings face serum half of recommended dose each, Blissel one day and wellsprings next day. But I am very sensitive to sex hormones, everything I put in my vagina or on my face goes to every part of my body within couple of hours.
I was on pea size of oestrogel, it didn’t help me with my symptoms but was still slowly poisoning me.
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This is fascinating Angela.
I'll be sure to keep this knowledge up my sleeve should I ever get rid of the stupid estrogen!
Do u use the Blissel via vag route?
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Penguin I use very small amount, Blissel gel for VA and wellsprings face serum half of recommended dose each, Blissel one day and wellsprings next day. But I am very sensitive to sex hormones, everything I put in my vagina or on my face goes to every part of my body within couple of hours.
I was on pea size of oestrogel, it didn’t help me with my symptoms but was still slowly poisoning me.
Thanks Angela, that's really useful to know. I am looking at the compounded route for progesterone if my tapering off leaves me too low in estrogen to function. This cream sounds a lovely idea to try for the estrogen part. I am down to a tiny blob of estrogel atm. Stopping in a couple of days, then a month off amd we will see. Is Blissel on prescription only? I will need an estrogen cream for down there I think.
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This is fascinating Angela.
I'll be sure to keep this knowledge up my sleeve should I ever get rid of the stupid estrogen!
Do u use the Blissel via vag route?
I hated having estrogen in peri, but I more hate not having it in post meno. I don’t even know what is better. :-\
Yes, it is for vaginal use for VA treatment, but because of my highly sensitive body to sex hormones, it appears to be very helpful for my whole body.
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Is Blissel on prescription only? I will need an estrogen cream for down there I think.
Yes, prescription only, and this is gel. I tried before Ovestin cream, I don’t remember why I didn’t like it, I think it irritated my vulva. But a lot of ladies use it with no problem and it is much stronger than Blissel gel. It’s individual choice.
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Is Blissel on prescription only? I will need an estrogen cream for down there I think.
Yes, prescription only, and this is gel. I tried before Ovestin cream, I don’t remember why I didn’t like it, I think it irritated my vulva. But a lot of ladies use it with no problem and it is much stronger than Blissel gel. It’s individual choice.
Thanks, I like the idea that it is milder, the vagirux I tried didn't agree with me, I react strongly to most things unfortunately.
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Hello JosieJo55 and welcome to the forum.
I have a daughter but I am not so optimistic about the treatment for menopause when it is her turn. From reading the posts on this site over the years it appears that meno treatment is still haphazard and often ineffective.
I have lost count of the times that ladies have experienced HRT that had suddenly stopped working or a regime that was fine but then unexplained bleeding meant investigations and more changes.
Over the years I have seen NHS and private GPs and Consultants and heard different advice from them all. Due to spotting I have recently tried reducing my oestrogen again and this complies with my NHS Consultants wishes however a resurgence of horrible VA symptoms means I have to ignore that advice and increase again.
Unfortunately my long meno journey has left me very sceptical of meno services. My hope is that research and general interest in the menopause will eventually lead to better care for our daughters in the future but I feel that things are far from satisfactory at the moment.
PS Please forgive my moan but I have been awake since 4 am with burning and itching from VA so I am a little irritable lol.
Take care.
K.
hi Kathleen, moan away, anything that helps is a win.
I’ve been an insomniac for many years, since my twenties. Never found a way to manage it and most definitely never had anyone take it seriously enough to help me. Ive taken many roads to try to get help. None worked. I’ve very often felt like giving up as lack of sleep is crippling but I’m nothing if not determined. If anything sleep has got better since my periods stopped and I generally fall asleep by 10 and wake about 4 or 5. The nights of not falling asleep and being wired all night are quite rare now thankfully and having sometimes gone 6 nights solid without sleep compared to a full 6 hours a night, to me is life changing. My view on this now with hindsight is hormones have played havoc with me all my life, it’s been a roller coaster every month. The thought of taking synthetic hormones scares me to death as I’m personally feeling better off without them. My biggest issue with menopause is really uncomfortable and sometimes painful bloating, most other symptoms I’ve coped with….so far