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[Winniepoppy]

 Wanting to say hello and thank goodness for this site! I have been completely floored by my peri menopausal symptoms and it is sooo good to learn that is what they are and that I've not permanently transformed into a quivering, incompetent ogre!
I am 46 and over two years ago I first visited my GP with bleeding twice a month, this had been happening for about a year at that time, though initially one of the bleeds was very light, more like spotting and so I'd put it down to ovulation, I could always tell when I was ovulating due to ovulation pain. However as time went on the length and heaviness of the bleeds increased, hence this visit to my GP. Bloods were taken and I was told I was young to be experiencing peri menopause...Bloods came back as normal. 18 months later I return to my GP, moods are labile and bleeding is worse, again more bloods taken, again informed I was young, this time however I was armed with familial history, both my grandmother and mother had stopped menstruating by the age of 42. But bloods came back normal and CBT was suggested...
Two months ago I returned to my GP armed with NICE guidance and a tale of a woman falling apart, unable to function at work or at home (I work full time and I am a single mum to a 7 and 10 yr old) Again we had the "too young" discussion so I pulled out the NICE guidance and the GP decides that HRT might be worth a shot. Unfortunately ( and like a lot of GPs it seems) he prescribed me continuous HRT, I realised pretty quickly I was on the wrong thing and was prescribed (and had to pay again, twice! ) Femoston 1/10.
So I've been taking this for a month now, I've still had two bleeds this month, still waking up drenched in sweat, anxiety symptoms are still making life extremely difficult and sleep is shot.
So my question to you very knowledgeable lot is, how long to leave it before returning to my GP? Have any of you taken a antidepressant in conjunction with HRT and seen the benefit or otherwise. And have any of you had clinical symptoms of peri menopause but normal blood results? Interestingly talking to my younger sister last night it appears she has recently started to bleed twice a month too.
Thank you for any advice you may have

[Dotty]

The guidance is that you should give hrt 3 months to see if it works for you.

[Winniepoppy]

The guidance is They you should give hrt 3 months to see if it works for you.

Thank you Dotty, I will leave it a month and book another appt, it'll be at least a month to get a bookable appt anyway!

[Hurdity]

Hi Winniepoppy

 

How far apart were your blood tests carreied out and when in your cycle? To diagnose early menopause you should have two blood tests 4-6 weeks apart and the first ideally on 3rd - 5th day of bleed. if your FSH is raised then peri-menopause is suspected. If your cycle length hasn't yet changed then you may well be at the last phase before peri-menopause known as the Late Reproductive Stage when ovaries are still functioning - ovulation occurring, but some of the hormones begin to go a bit awry - leading to the symptoms and bleeding. Also FSH levels are variable throughout the cycle and do not give the whole picture.

However if you are experiencing sweats and flushes then it does sound like you are reacting to changes in oestrogen levels associated with peri-menopause.

Have you had other blood tests to check there are no other causes of your sweats eg thyroid function, and blood sugar levels?

Other alternative treatments, if you decide the Femoston is not for you, could be - the Mirena coil - this would deal with the bleeding and then you could add oestrogen as a patch or gel at whatever dose you needed to prevent the sweats. Also the contraceptive pill - there is a more natural, gentler one called QLAIRA that contains estradiol ( same oestrogen that we make) and only has two tablet free days so not the pill-free week that the conventional CCP types have. This should prevent sweats and mood swings if you are OK with the progestogen in that pill.

Anti-depressants are certainly not recommended for menopausal symptoms caused by hormonal changes if you are not depressed and have not suffered from this before. The NICE Guildeines are quite specific about this.

Hope this helps and let us know the outcome!

Hurdity x

[Winniepoppy]

Thank you Hurdity for replying with so much useful information, especially around the Late Reproductive phase, this was totally new to me.The first blood test was done a while ago, I can only remember being asked to get them done on certain days of my cycle but can't recall exactly which days, however I can remember saying it was going to be difficult for me as I was bleeding so frequently that day 21 might not be day 21 but day 4 for example, I also wasn't certain if both bleeds were a true period and so wasn't certain which bleed to count from. I was informed this didn't matter. I certainly didn't have a repeat test. My cycle length has changed however in that it has reduced from 31 days 2 years ago down to around 14 days now.
I have had my thyroid and blood sugar checked, along with checks for B12 etc. All clear on that front.
I have noticed that the night sweats occur more in the days leading up to a bleed. I don't have flushes during the day at all. The other symptom I have which doesn't match the usual ( if there is such a thing ) is increased discharge to the point where, when I'm not bleeding, I have to wear a liner at all times.
Thank you for the tip off about the anti depressants, I have only taken them once in my early 20s for about 6 months, I certainly don't feel depressed, I don't exhibit the constancy of symptoms of depression required to get that diagnosis.
Thank you again, I will certainly use the information you've provided me when I visit my GP in a couple of months if things don't improve.