Hello,
I am a new member, and feel so grateful to find these forum boards!
I am 46, and I think I probably entered into peri-menopause in the summer of 2014, with my first ever erratic periods. I have always been super regular and super light (with a small amount of PMT) and unfortunately it appeared to arrive at the same time as trying for another baby. I was never late, and so the amount of anxiety, confusion and disappointment at being late, but not pregnant, was rather upsetting. At 41, I did think that it might be my age.
That winter, I started having hot flushes, which were always preceeded by (what I now understand as) an adrenaline-rush type of palpitation. I would feel my heart starting to race and thump, like an animal caught in my rib cage. As I begin to understand them more, I could begin to predict my flushes, which would always follow a few minutes after this rush. Starting from my core, they would spread out, radiating through my body, like an inferno. It literally felt as though I had been injected with heat in my core and it was spreading through me. As a traditionally very cold person (I also have Raynaud's) standing outside on a December evening after stripping to my vest was very un-me behaviour - my lovely husband was so supportive, if a little puzzled. At this time, I was still sleeping like a log, as always, and not having any night sweats.
During early 2015, I did become pregnant, but unfortunately had a MMC detected at my 12 weeks scan, and again in September, this time at 7 weeks. I was devastated. After this, my periods became more and more erratic and the insomnia began. Oh my - as a very heavy sleeper, I was now waking up every single night at between 2.30 and 3 am and the strange thing was it was just like the papitations - but this time I didnt have the palpitations, just the waking. So now I would wake up, oh joy! just to know that an enormous, completely overwhelming volcano was just about to erupt, and didnt want me to miss it.
After months of waking, sweating, irritability, memory loss (I have always been rather absent minded, but now I forget absolutely everything...), increased tinnitus, cracking knees and joints (and coming to terms with possibily having to say goodbye to my beloved peak and fell walking) I realised that I hadnt had a period in 11 months and 3.5 weeks - it was nearly a year that we had moved into our home and I was having a period that week of the move. Then I had two days of very, very light spotting - not even enough to need a pad, just a liner. Another 6 months of no period, and then 1 morning of very, very light spotting. Another 10 months, and another morning of very, very light spotting. All the while, insomnia every night, flushes getting bigger and better, now with facial sweating - that was a nice touch, and increasing in amount to usually every half and hour, most days. Some days it would be lovely when I would only have one an hour...
I first went to see my GP 6 months ago, unable to cope with the symptoms any more. I had tried so many alternative remedies, and lifestyle changes, but nothing was making any difference. She is a great GP - and she thought that my 'near' initial year would probably class as being through the menopause, and the spotting could have been intercourse related (I do have a tendancy for spotting after intercourse) and so put me, at my request and her agreement, on continuous HRT in the form of Evorel Conti patches.
What a complete JOY! Within the first 3 weeks, I was sleeping again! The flushes disappeared. I was amazed and delighted. Until about 5 weeks after using them, I started to feel completely wired, especially after putting on a new patch. I felt emotionally aggressive, critical, argumentative - especially towards my poor husband
I went back to my GP, who had recently been to a workshop regarding menopause and in particular, body identical HRT. We had a chat about the effectiveness of the Evorel Conti, but my worries that something wasn't right with how I was responding to it and she gave me a website to have a look at - My Menopause Doctor. I had a read, and it seemed at though I could possibly have a intolerance to Norethisterone. I asked her to prescrible the protocol that was recommended and she had also read and researched this, and agreed, so we switched over to Estradot 50 2x weekly patch and Utrogestan 100mg nightly.
This was 4 months ago, and apart from the tinnitus/memory loss and clumsiness, the difference has been great. I still have a very low sex drive, which I am not very happy about as my husband and I are very close, but I no longer want to kill him for coming home from work with the shopping and offering to cook dinner....
I went back for a chat/BP check up, and although it a little higher than normal, she was happy to give me a repeat for 12 months, with the agreement that I would come and she her if I was worried at all about anything. I am still remarkably forgetful - more so that I am personally alright with, but I am trying to do some attention/focusing training and NOT multi-tasking! The children are taking their time getting used to that
The one thing I am concerned about is weight gain - I know it is probably a simple case of body ageing, but I have always been fairly slim and have been able to always shift baby weight or winter padding, but I am currently carrying over a stone more than I am comfy with and I seem to have very little self-control regarding crusty bread and butter, or cheese.... I cook nearly everything we eat from scratch, and we garden and grow our own etc - but those little/loud voices telling me that I am HUNGRY when actually I should just go to bed/read/walk with the kids are so very LOUD!
Anyway - if you read all this, thank you
It was just so very lovely to write it all out. My darling husband is a very good listener and supporter, but there are times when it is nice to talk to other women x Most of my friends are 10 years younger than I am as I had my 3rd and 4th child in my late 30s after a gap of 10 years, and so it is lovely to meet you all.
S x
