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[Me-too]

So a bit of history.  I began having menopausal symptoms - hot flushes, night sweats but for me mostly it was the mood swings - when I was 39.  Whilst the mood swings could quite possibly have been simply a mental health type issue I knew enough about the menopause to know the hot flushes and night sweats weren't.  So I went to see my GP who quite simply told me I was too young to be having the menopause.  End of story.  No tests, no nothing. 

It took me about 2 years I think to convince my GP that just maybe I knew my body a little better than she did.  I only did that by making repeated appointments so she could actually witness the changes in mood herself.  It would kind of veer from crying for about a week as if the sky were falling in, to behaviour verging on road rage and everything in between.  Eventually she got it and decided to try some hormones.  Not HRT though, I was too young and also a smoker.  So I was prescribed Loestrin 20, a low dose combined contraceptive pill. 

Seriously I turned from an overheated fruit loop into the most laid back, calm person ever.  Even I didn't know I could be that chilled about things.  No more hot flushes, no more night sweats and because I took them continuously back to back (because of the mood swings) no more periods. And all was well and calm and stable for around 7 years.

A few months ago my GP, who must have actually checked out my date of birth told me I had to stop the Loestrin.  To be fair to her I also had quite high blood pressure too.  And according to the "rules" the surgery, having had a meeting about little old me, had decided that I was not to be prescribed Loestrin again.  I did point out to my GP that it was a very bad idea to withdraw them.  The week of crying type mood would often leave me feeling suicidal which I said was putting me at risk of harm.  But of course it fell on deaf ears.  I should say that coming off the Loestrin had absolutely no effect on my blood pressure.

I went a month or two without and was actually pleasantly surprised - no menopausal symptoms, no periods either.  My GP did some blood tests and told me I was now post-menopausal.  I wasn't surprised although it hit me a little harder than I'd imagined being honest.  I don't have children.  I never really planned to have children and am single, but even so the thought that I now couldn't was weirdly emotional for me.  Like I was suddenly too old or silly stuff like that.  I'm 49 by the way.

Anyway next thing the hot flushes started and then the night sweats. In the early days the night sweats were the problem with the odd hot flush now and again.  Suddenly I have this permanent hot flush.  I'm not kidding either.  From the moment I woke up I was sweating buckets and at night I have to change my clothes once or twice.  And yes I only wear cotton stuff layered etc. 

Spoke to my GP and she put me on Femoston-conti 0.5/2.5 which I've been taking for about a month now I think.  The only way I can describe it really is hormonal Armageddon.  Hot flushes were so bad I feel like I am permanently trapped in a sauna, night sweats and I can honestly say I have been crying for the last 4 weeks - like the sky is falling in sort of tears, over nothing too.  I just cry....all day long.  And I am getting more and more depressed to the point the suicidal stuff has resurfaced (and no need for alarm - I know it's the hormones so not acting on it even if I do feel like jumping off a cliff most of the time right now).

So I was reading about the ingredients.  Loestrin 20 you get 20 mg of estradiol but with the new pills I get only 0.5 mg.  So hell of course I am going to have some problems.  I should just say before the Loestrin I was put on a progesterone only pill and I became Little Miss Angry - moody as hell and really quite unstable.  There's 1 mg in the Loestrin I think different types obviously but same kind of thing I think.  The new pills I get 2.5 mg so the problem drug has been increased. 

I will admit I did wonder what might happen if I took 40 pills (to make it up to 20 mg) though clearly that's only theoretical, I am not actually going to take it.

Anyway right now I am in hell.  And it seems I am going to have a wonderful Xmas - Although I have bought tissues in bulk this time.  And my heating costs should be lower. But it's an emotional time anyway so with this going on I may just take to my duvet and hide.

So that's me.  I have to say it is really nice to just say all this.  My mother and I are estranged and whilst I do remember her menopause I can't talk to her about any of it.  I don't have anyone else I can talk to.  There is my GP but the 10 minute consultations don't allow much time for any of that.  I am not entirely sure she is really taking this very seriously though.  She's a bit younger than me and has all this to come (with any luck). 

Anyway hello everyone and it's nice to be here even if I am a bit of an emotional wreck right now.

[Dorothy]

I can't offer any practical advice (I'm on the birth control pill so have the 'joys' of HRT still to come) but just wanted to send you a big hug!  There are loads of ladies on this forum who are very knowledgeable about the various forms of HRT, so I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you some help.  Meanwhile, I hope the knowledge that you are not alone in this is some comfort to you.

BTW, I can identify with finding it hard accepting that you wont' ever have children.  I started getting symptoms at 35 though I wasn't diagnosed till I was 39, and even though I thought I'd accepted I wouldn't ever have children (single and also had some gynae problems in the past), it was still really weird realising that 'probably won't' had become 'definitely won't'.  Don't underestimate the emotional impact it can have, and give yourself time & space to come to terms with it.  I remember feeling really shaky and scared when I got my first period, and to be honest, I felt exactly the same way when I realised I was at the other end of my reproductive life!

[Me-too]

Thank you Dorothy.  And you're right about the children thing.  I didn't think I minded, until I realised that is an experience I will never have now.  Like you it's something I accept, but it's still quite an emotional thing and it's not something I can really discuss with anyone else.  Those people I know around this age already have a family.  Even though I knew what my GP was going to say, being told I was post menopausal now was still quite a thing to know for sure.  It made me feel a bit like "ok that's me done then" and even if it sounds silly, it's still quite a thing to process.

[CLKD]

   why don't GPs listen to their patients and not lock us all in the same box 

Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful to chart the 'better' days  .  Maybe your GP could refer you to a Gynaecologist with interest in menopause or a local menopause clinic?  Something to suggest in the New Year, try to make a double appt..

Browse round.  Make notes.

As oestrogen levels drop off the body dries up: nostrils, skin, deep in the ears, vagina 
As oestrogen levels drop off so muscles may become lax = aches and pains

[Me-too]

I had noticed the dry skin which is something I've never suffered from before.  But also all the elastic is disappearing in my muscles.  I have old lady skin  

But yes, I wish GP's would listen, I know I'm a bit emotional right now but I do know my own body.  When the menopausal symptoms started the doctors suggested I had Bipolar (there is some family history of it, but am not diagnosed with that which was ruled out once I had some hormones).  It was keeping the mood diary that really helped, the pattern was obvious.  But you're Right CLKD I should perhaps start keeping a diary of stuff again.  It's much easier to spot patterns or triggers that way.  Thank you

[CLKD]

Keep posting!

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Me-too welcome to MM
High blood pressure shouldn't be a reason for stopping hormone treatment especially at your age - if you were 59 that might be different. You clearly need a higher dose of HRT to get you back on track, however I wouldn't necessarily compare your BCP with the HRT as they may not be the same types of hormones so doses will be different.  You are on the ultra low dose so you could easily go up to the higher dose.   
I had a premature meno and know how important HRT is for your long term health.  Finding the right HRt can be challenging but Femoston is a good one to try as the progesterone is kinder, therefore Femoston suits many women very well. The only thing I would say is, the lower dose can take a lot longer to do it's magic and even a slightly higher dose may take time to truly work.
My one concern is regarding the smoking ?  Are you still smoking? If so, can you try to stop? The health risks of using HRT are very small but if you smoke these risks increase greatly and maybe the reason your GPs are being cautious about the dose you use. I also believe that smoking can impede the absorption and effectiveness of HRT so that is a good reason for stopping.
If I were you I'd give this HRT another 2-3 weeks and if there is no improvement then ask the GP to increase to the next level. There are other HRTs to try but it's not a good idea to chop and change things too often or you never find out which is working.  Keep us posted.  DG x

[Hurdity]

Hi Me-too

 

Before I say anything else - I do hope you read this before Christmas and don't start downing the Femoston tabs.

You are incorrect re the dosage of the different tablets! Please note!!!! Loestrin 20 contains 0.02 mg = 20 mcg of oestrogen - which is 25 times lower than the 0.5 mg (=500 mcg) oestrogen in Femoston. However as Dancinggirl says the oestrogen is totally different and cannot be compared. The one in Loestrin is the synthetic ethinyl-estradiol whereas in Femoston it is Estradiol - the latter which is bio-identical with our own oestrogen. The synthetic ones in the pills are much stronger - so although you were wrong about the dosage you were right about the Femoston being much less in practice. No wonder you are feeling rough - that is an ultra-low dose for older post-menopausal women who want to take the lowest dose possibly - probably into old age....

it is important though to get your blood pressure under control and I am sure you are already looking at ways to do this others than drugs, with your doctor as this is vital for your long term health.

Here is some information:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974
http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Yourlifestyle

You will doing yourself a great service by following these measures if you are not already eg keep to a healthy body weight, reduce salt and alcohol, take more exercise, quit smoking, eat lots of fresh fruit and veg etc

I also agree with Dancinggirl about smoking - here is what it says on this site:

Smoking
Women who smoke have an earlier menopause than non-smokers, have worse flushes and often don't respond as well to tablet form of HRT.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diet.php

Also as with the oestrogens - the progestogens are also different in Femoston and Loestrin. Although the dose is higher in Femoston it is very closely aligned to our own progesterone and therefore higher doses are needed. The synthetic ones in the pill are stronger in their mode of action so can be taken in smaller doses. Unfortunately some women are sensitive to these synthetic types even so.

It is impossible to say whether you are post-menopausal from blood tests alone because FSH goes into the post-menopausal range even while peri-menopausal - this is what it says on this site (about FSH):

A normal level does not exclude early menopausal transition and a raised level does not exclude continuing ovarian function. One raised level should therefore not be relied upon as a reason to stop using contraception since egg release can still occur late in the menopausal transition.
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diagnose.php

Some women on here have been told they are post-meno and will never have another period but have gone on to have them for several months or years. One woman was told this after just missing two ie after a gap of 3 months!!

I can understand your mixed feelings after being told this and especially in relation to your fertility, even though as you say you had not planned children. I can imagine it is still a shock when it is said to you like that. Evene though many women do not reach menopause until their 50's, even if ovulation occurs it does not usually  lead to pregnancy as few pregnancies occur after mid 40's. The last thing you want at this time is also to be feeling physically rough as well.

The other thing is even though you are on a low dose you are still taking continuous combined HRT which means taking a progestogen all the time which you probably weren't with the pill. I would consider in your position, going back to a cycle (I presume you had withdrawal bleeds on the pill?) which means you would have some respite from the progestogen - so for example you could take Femoston 2/10 ( higher dose). However if you continue to smoke then transdermal HRT would be better so Femseven sequi or Evorel sequi are the patches ( or you could take separate oestrogen and progestogen.

Another possibility is you could have a Mirena coil fitted (for the progestogen part) and then have an oestrogen patch or gel which you could adjust according to your symptoms until you got the sweet spot.

I hope I haven't bombarded you too much with information - but hope it helps and if you want to ask anything else we are here ( well after Christmas anyway

Hurdity x