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[allie007]

Hi Everyone!

So glad I found this forum and am looking forward to sharing experiences with you all.
Havent been feeling myself for a long long time now, probably about 6 months or so but getting worse the last 2 or 3 months with most of the typical symptoms you are all familiar with,particularly the not sleeping and anxiety. Only dawned on me a couple of weeks ago it could be menopause and not stress of my job (teacher) and being a single mum to a 5 year old. Am 47 in a couple of months. Anyhow,went to the doctors, had blood tests and over the phone one of the GP's in the practise told me that my FSH level was 60 indicating menopause and brieflt went through the science behind it. I asked him what happens next to which he replied 'what do you mean?' !!!! So i said about making an appointment to come in and he said 'well if you feel you need to'.
Im a bit gobsmacked to be honest. Has anyone else experienced a response like that?
I have made an appointment to see one.of the other GP's, in 2 weeks so am hoping a more helpful response.

[CLKD]

Yep.   The GP has done the test and not thought any further about it.  HORMONES  .  There are many ill-informed or lazy GPs out there!


Make a list of your symptoms.  Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful.  Browse round.  Does your Surgery have a GP interested in womens' health or a Practice Nurse you could take with?

Browse round. Makes notes!

[allie007]

Hi,thanks for replying, the diary is a good idea so will do that. Ive never read up on the menopause until the last few days, hence thinking my symptoms were down to stress. Ive only been going to this GP practise for a couple of years and never had a problem with my health so not sure what they've got. I did have a look at the website and the GP i am seeing specialises in sexual health. There are 10 GPs there and 2 weeks was the first available appointment with any of them.

[Mary G]

allie007,that sounds completely useless but pretty much par for the course with most GPs.  You should have been invited to the surgery automatically to talk about your options, it should be standard procedure.  I gave up on my GP years ago, she knew nothing about HRT and I knew more than her which is appalling.  I think it's time to take all things menopause and HRT out of GP's hands and all women should be immediately referred to a menopause clinic when they reach menopause.  I had to seek help privately. 

Moving on, have you thought about HRT?  When you go to your appointment in a couple of weeks, you will need to be clued up and know what to ask for.  I would suggest you ask for HRT because otherwise you could be facing years of debilitating symptoms not to mention the possibility of long term health issues like heart and bone problems.  You have a challenging job and you want to feel your best and I think HRT is the best way to achieve that.

What you choose depends on how well you tolerate progesterone (any history of PMS, how did you get on with the pill?) but I would recommend Oestrogel (you rub it on your skin) used with a separate progesterone which you might want to read up on.  Another popular product is Femoston which is an oral form of HRT.  Have you ever had a Mirena coil and if so, how did you get on with it?  This can be used for the progesterone part of HRT and would work well with Oestrogel. 

I'm sorry that you have been thrown in at the deep end but hopefully you will be able to access some good information on here.

[allie007]

Hi Mary, thank you for your advice. I had a Mirena coil fitted after I had my son,not sure how long after but he is 5. Ive got along with it fine. Spotty periods every now and then but havent had any spotting at all for probably 2 years now. HRT does sound like a good option for me,im lucky at the moment because i havent had any hot flashes (bet ive spoken too soon now!) but my moods have been all over the place, im Miss Honey one minute then Miss Trunchbull the next in school and the tiredness is awful. I used to be so energetic and now I get in from work and I can barely speak and fall asleep with my son. My coffee intake is ridiculous now because Im just trying to stay awake all the time.

[allie007]

P.S There is no history of breast cancer on either side of my family but both my mother and grandmother have osteoperosis.

[Mary G]

That's great, it means you can simply add in Oestrogel without having to worry.   I would recommend Oestrogel as opposed to patches because you have greater control over the dosage.   I used patches with the Mirena coil and they were not strong enough unfortunately.

You are off to a good start!

[allie007]

I know absolutely nothing about types of HRT at the moment, am so grateful for your advice. All a bit overwhelming at the moment!

[Hurdity]

Hi allie007

 

If you do decide to use HRT then it is quite important to find out when your Mirena was fitted, because it is only licensed for use for 4 years to provide endometrial protection (ie your womb lining), whereas it's 5 years for contraception. Despite your high FSH result, you can't be sure you have reached menopause yet because the Mirena will stop periods sometimes long before menopause - and FSH levels vary enormously from day to day and even during the day I gather.

Have a look at this link for information on diagnosis on the main website:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/diagnose.php

Cyclical changes combined with typical menopausal symptoms ( of flushes and sweats usually), combined with age are the best indicators but without a menstrual cycle (due to the Mirena)  it is more difficult.  In your case if you are not getting flushes or sweats - maybe you are one of the lucky ones - or maybe they will kick in later if you don't take HRT!

Before the flushes stage - often women find other pms symptoms worsen - usually the mood swings, headaches, irritability, anxiety, fatigue etc - and I agree a low dose oestrogen only HRT might be a good option to start, once you've found out whether you need to replace your Mirena.

All the different oestrogen preparations can be found here:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php

Mary G has already mentioned oestrogen gel, and I have only ever used patches (Estradot) which I have found excellent (been using them for 11 years!), and there are also tablets. It is a matter of preference and also how well you absorb the oestrogen from the different types.  In your position I would start with a low dose for 3 months and see how you feel - and if your symptoms persist then you might want to increase the dose - however it could be that your overall oestrogen levels have not yet dropped enormously so a top-up could do the trick

If you need any more help do please ask.

Hurdity x

[allie007]

Thank you!  I think it was about 4 years ago it was fitted but will find out when i see the GP. Am praying she's good. Thank you for the link. My mum didnt get any hot flashes so am hoping i follow her 🤞🤞🤞