Hello,
I finally decided to stop lurking and join in, so thought I should introduce myself with an introduction to my menopause journey so far. It was in 2020 that I started to think I might be menopausal. I've been using mirena for contraception so no menstrual cycle to judge it by.
I had most symptoms going, although not all of them severe, but I've never had full on hot flushes.
I started on oestrogel back in 2020 and found that three pumps worked well for me. I still had low libido and brain fog.
Late in 2021 I switched to estradot, I thought they'd be more convenient than ladling on gel and creating a mountain of empty plastic bottles. Unfortunately estradot has not worked well for me and despite increasing the dose a couple of times I've felt somewhere between awful and rubbish since.
Earlier this year I started on Tostran, which has restored my libido and sexual function and subtly improved my concentration, mood and maybe sleep.
I also use imvaggis, which are nice waxy pessaries that come with not too much packaging.
I've just picked up a prescription for oestrogel so from this evening I'll be switching back. Let's hope that soon I feel as good as I remember feeling last year 🤞🏼
Lifestyle wise, I've always been reasonably active. I like to cycle, enjoy Jazzercise and took up running a couple of years ago. Since being peri, I've limited my caffeine to one coffee in the morning and only drink alcohol very rarely. I've tended to eat mainly vegetarian and more recently, mainly vegan.
I've recently picked up Stacey T Sims book "Next Level" which has encouraged me to eat a much higher protein diet, return to weight training and try some sprint interval training. It's too soon to know if it's going to make a difference to my dwindling fitness and growing belly.
Onwards and upwards (I hope)
