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[Stripeyserenite]

Hi ladies, first time poster.

Need some advice as things are really awful. Night time sweats last night wakening me to change clothes/towel I’m lying on 4 times, it’s normally a couple.  I am so fed up and exhausted.

I’m 51 having meno symptoms about 10 years looking back.

Got on Femoston 1/10 combi as still bleeding july 2021. Good relief in symptoms but they came back and was changed to 2/10 by phone consultation with gp july 2022.

This last year I’ve had excessive bleeding, intermittent and really heavy. Really bad pain on left side, cramping. Mood. Feel distant and awful hot flushes and night sweats. Feeling uninterested and flat and cross/snippy all the time - so unlike me.

The gp by phone at annual review referred me to consultant.
She told me to stop all HRT so I stopped them. 
Since then The symptoms have been horrendous.

All as before but as well I can’t sleep, night sweats, mood, all over the place, I’ve put 1 1/2 stone on in weight in 7 weeks as I’m craving sugar/eating it for energy as I’m not sleeping.  I feel like I’ve aged 10 years.
I’ve had no bleeding whatsoever since I stopped Femoston after having really heavy bleeding.

I also have a bulge and I don’t know if it’s a prolapse or cyst or what. It’s really sore and depressing me as I feel it when I walk/sit etc.

I saw a gynaecologist before, she said I’d a big cyst but to leave it as to remove it would potentially damage bladder and I could be left with a colostomy bag - but I didn’t really understand what was what. There was no bulge then, it’s very obvious and can see it coming out.
I have urine urgentcy and have to support to poo, awful pain.

I am so sad about all this and can’t mention to anyone in real life, not even my husband.

The bulge thing is probably nothing to do with menopause so sorry if I shouldn’t neither here.

I’ve an appt next week with a consultant gynaecologist.  I’m really anxious/tearful about everything and although I know I need to go I’m dreading it.  I don’t know if I can explain everything.

I thought if I had some advice from here I might be s bit more educated about what to ask about etc

Also worried as private health insurance doesn’t cover menopause stuff so don’t know if I should mention any of this to the gynaecologist. 

Any thoughts ladies and thank you for a space to write it all out - get it out of my head a bit.

[CLKD]

U mention exactly what you like: Nowt is OTT nor taboo.  Most of us have had some if not all symptoms mentioned on the Forum. 

I suggest that you get yourself an appt with a physiotherapist interested in womens' health and menopause.  She can advise on correct exercises for the pelvic area if they are required.  You may have a prolapse or fibroids the latter can, I believe, encourage bleeding due to hormonal upheavals.

Which type of consultant were you referred to?  Gynaes, as with many GPs, have little or no idea about peri menopause.  Your GP should have referred you to a dedicated menopause clinic.  How long since you stopped the HRT? 

Take a list of symptoms with you.  It isn't relevant whether your insurance covers menopause or not, is this a private appt. or NHS?  U can go through the list of your worries with the Gynae and ask how of your symptoms may be due to receding oestrogen.  If she seems a bit vague, get a referral t a menopduse clinic. [My hands are cold, can you tell  ]

Does your husband not realise that something is up, does he not ask why you are seeing a Consultant? 

[Stripeyserenite]

U mention exactly what you like: Nowt is OTT nor taboo.  Most of us have had some if not all symptoms mentioned on the Forum. 

I suggest that you get yourself an appt with a physiotherapist interested in womens' health and menopause.  She can advise on correct exercises for the pelvic area if they are required.  You may have a prolapse or fibroids the latter can, I believe, encourage bleeding due to hormonal upheavals.

Which type of consultant were you referred to?  Gynaes, as with many GPs, have little or no idea about peri menopause.  Your GP should have referred you to a dedicated menopause clinic.  How long since you stopped the HRT? 

Take a list of symptoms with you.  It isn't relevant whether your insurance covers menopause or not, is this a private appt. or NHS?  U can go through the list of your worries with the Gynae and ask how of your symptoms may be due to receding oestrogen.  If she seems a bit vague, get a referral t a menopduse clinic. [My hands are cold, can you tell  ]

Does your husband not realise that something is up, does he not ask why you are seeing a Consultant?



Thank you.

I didn’t realise how badly this is affecting me until your reply made me cry!  It’s awful.

My husband knows it’s to do with menopause and doesn’t ask any more than that.

I have a private consultation with a uro-gynaecologist next week - I sourced this myself as I thought if it’s prolapse related they would be the right doctor.  The health insurance will not cover anything menopausal.

The gp referred me to gynaecologist thst has progressed although I got a private appt and oddly as there’s really long waits here I got an appointment a week after the private one.  I’ve been waiting about 5 weeks for the private appt.

I thought I could keep both and see how the private appt goes and see if I need/should go to nHS.

I’m wary of coming out if NHS system in case my insurance won’t cover whatever it is.

I stopped HRT at start of Sept. GP told me to stop.  I’d been bleeding heavily, intermittently and for couple weeks at a time but since I came off Femoston I have had no bleeding. All my symptoms were back anyway, after being on Femoston 2/10 a few months.  Is this strange?

I wonder if a hysterectomy would help all this.  I feel something has to be able to make things better it’s all affecting my quality of life so badly.

[CLKD]

You have a good cry, hormonal fluctuations can affect moods so it's good to 'let go'.   

Yes a hysterectomy will help your problems, it is major surgery so you need to discuss exactly what will be done and whether you will need HRT after.  Of course without womb you shouldn't require progesterone.  Again, take a list along to discuss.

Let us know how you get on.  We shouldn't have to get a private appt. but I've done so when necessary, as there will be more time to talk about your problems.  Many private consultants work part time for the NHS so U may find that during the appt., he/she tells U that your treatment can continue on the NHS.  U shouldn't have to rely on insurance unless surgery is involved. 

Do be aware that during private treatment, patients aren't covered by a 24/7 service as we are in the NHS.  i.e. if a patient has a heart attack for example, there won't be a crash team on site, the patient may require transfer to an NHS hospital with a bed.  I didn't know this when I had my various procedures  .  Everything has to be paid for, removal of a single running stitch cost a tenner in 1992.  I could have done that myself!  So X-rays, bloods, ABs, are charged for in the private sector as individual invoices. 

On the Forum is a long list of 'hints for husbands', might be worth you printing it off, reading, then handing it over 2 hour husband.  [I found it slightly patronising ...... however.]

[Stripeyserenite]

Thank you CLKD.

I will start making a list of symptoms to bring with me.

I think writing this out will help enormously as I will have taken some of the emotion out of it, otherwise I think I would just go in and cry through the appt 🙄

I can’t understand why all bleeding has stopped since I stopped HRT - it’s been 7 weeks which is unheard of for me.

Do you think I should ask for hysterectomy, I really believe it will help.  Looking back this has been ongoing for years and years snd just no end to it.  I don’t know if you can suggest this to a doctor though, I suppose they’ll have their opinion. 

The bulge/prolapse - there has to be some thing that could help this.
Do doctors diagnose if it’s a prolapse or a cyst by examining or would they send me for ultrasound/scan.
 I’ve never had a blood test or anything like that relating to menopause/hrt etc

[CLKD]

I don't know the routine for diagnosis of polyps/prolapse after the initial internal examination.  It may depend on the relevant health authority or how the particular Consultant follows through diagnosis.

U can discuss what you like at an appt., which is where the list is useful.  A good Consultant will pre-empt and explain to you the options.  At least mine did 

[Mary G]

Stripeyserenite, I'm so sorry to hear you are having such a miserable time.

It's good that you have an appointment with a gynaecologist next week and hopefully they will give you a scan and a diagnosis on the bulge.   I'm no expert but it sounds like it might be some kind of prolapse, possibly the uterus.   If that is the case, I would ask for a hysterectomy 100%.  My mother had a prolapsed womb (caused by lack of oestrogen and having 4 children) and they stitched it back into place but I would definitely go for a hysterectomy. 

I would also ask the gynaecologist to investigate the heavy bleeding.

I don't know much about prolapse but someone on here (can't remember who) said it badly affected their bowels and their bladder.

Hopefully things will be clearer after your appointment but it sounds like you badly need HRT.  You may need to see a menopause specialist because not all gynaecologists are experts on HRT.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help but hopefully you will have some answers next week.

Please keep us posted.

[Stripeyserenite]

Thanks so much,

I’m so confused about why I was having prolonged bleeding while in 2/10 Femostan.  It could be couple weeks, really heavy flow.  I could not be without protection of some sort.

And then I stop using it and I’ve not had a bleed in 7 weeks.

Can the HRT cause bleeding?

[Mary G]

I would imagine the heavy bleeding was caused by the progesterone.  Hopefully the gynaecologist will give you a scan next week and check your womb lining but continuous combined HRT often causes prolonged bleeding.

You might have a fibroid which also causes bleeding and I think they are made worse by oestrogen but without a scan, it's difficult to say.

You could have two different things going on or perhaps it's nothing but again, without a scan, you are working blind.

I think you will feel much better once you have seen the gynaecologist.

[joziel]

Hey Stripey, first things first... Find out what's going on in there and then you can make decisions going forwards.

Long-term, it sounds like you need HRT. They can't just take you off it and then leave you there suffering like that.... If you were having problems with bleeding, you likely needed someone experienced who knew about all the progesterone options (there are many). But if you have a hysterectomy you might not need progesterone at all and won't have bleeding problems either. If the bulge is a cyst on the ovaries, you could have just the ovaries removed. There are pros and cons to a full hysterectomy. Removing the womb does remove an important abdominal structure. My own mum has vaginal prolapse now after having had a hysterectomy a long time ago. But find out what is going on, and where....