Menopause

Hot flushes - try cutting out caffeine and alcohol. Very hard I know but do it for a few days and see it it makes a difference. Once I had found that caffeine was a trigger for me, I could at least make a conscious decision that the occasional espresso was worth it!

As someone who always seemed to suffer from feeling cold, I was actually quite glad to be able to do without several layers of jumpers. Quite liberating!

On waking at 4am, when I lived on my own I used to put on the radio by the bed. The World Service goes on all night and often sent me back to sleep! Now married I can't do this, so I just try hard to choose positive things to think about and be ruthless at not allowing the worries to intrude. This morning I worked through (in my mind) all the stored clothes in the cupboards to work out what DH and I could wear for a village 60s night this Saturday. As DH hates being asked to dress up, this was a challenge! Glad to report that when I made the suggestion over breakfast he thought it was brilliant. And I'd never have had time during the day to think this up

for a better sleep avoid carbohydrate type meals and alcohol in the evening, wear cotton pyjamas and have sheets and blankets instead of duvet, you can throw layers off if too hot, I never had a posh duvet and the synthetic ones were a bit too 'sweaty' a 'chillow' pillow is also very useful, you can use it for your head or body.

Have you tried filling a hot water bottle with cold water? Pop it in the freezer and cover it with a comfy cover for your own version of the 'Chillow'.

MrsJamJam if you want to listen to the radio in bed without disturbing your other half you can buy a small microphone that fits in/under your pillow and plugs into the headset socket of the radio. I have one - bought it off the internet on a site for the hard of hearing (I'm not). It's brilliant - I can listen to the World Service whenever I want now.

Thanks Lucid, that sounds like a good idea. Wouldn't have thought of looking at that sort of website!

wow!! thats uncanny ! for the last 12 months or so I wake up at almost 4am on the dot! im 55 no monthlies for over 3 yrs now...I dont take HRT does anyone else!!! the thing that put me off was that I heard if you evr came off it your periods would return not sure if that is true..to be honest I am rather ignorant about the menapause (think we think were not of that age ) lol..

Failing all of the above, you could always run through the fields naked at four in the morning, that would cool you down a bit!

My waking years seem to be over, but whilst they were at their peak I decided to stop fighting it. When I woke at some hour between 2-4am I got up and sat up and read or watched TV and relaxed. Then generally within an hour I would return to bed and 90% of the time fall asleep speedily. It seemed futile to get mad and frustrated about my sleeplessness so just embracing it worked for me. It did last a for about 2.5 years and I'm glad I didn't fight it for that length of time.
I began HRT a year ago, mostly so that I could go on working and feel so much better. I inted to stay on it for 5 years, if I can, and then when I come off it at least I won't be working!

What kind of HRT, suehi? Anyone tried tibolone? My GP says it has fewer side effects than old fashioned HRT but I'm undecided...was hoping to find a miracle herbal cure! (yeah, right)

I have a MP3 player with audio books for during the sleepless nights. One of the books is a murder mystery and I fell asleep listening toit, Woke up again to the murderer banging on the bedroom door.... what a fright I got, LOL

I had an early menopause and have been on HRT for 9years, although my GP says I may have to give it up next year. I still had periods for a while but they were much easier to handle than the heavy ones I had up to starting HRT....and eventually they stopped altogether. I think I'm right in saying that if your periods have stopped taking HRT won't make them re-start. I use patches as I can't take tablets - took several attempts to find the one that suited me but they have been brilliant. There are downsides to going on HRT and if you're thinking about it then do your research, but for me the benefits far outweigh any side effects.

Avoid caffeine or alcohol, my god, they are the only things that make the menopause bearable!!!

I was very lucky, I sailed through the menopause although I had assumed that something also known as the "Change of Life" wasn't supposed to mean it took a whole lifetime! In my case, it was about 5 years from periods getting irregular to actually disappearing. I was very adamant about not taking HRT which I was surprised to be offered a couple of (symptomless) years before the menopause proper kicked in,

I found the hot flushes best dealt with by wearing layers and stripping off as far as decent - odd as this was when walking the dog in the depths of winter - but the insomnia I dealt with by resignation. In other words, I'd wander downstairs, put the radio on, make a drink and then read until sleep overcame me again. In the summer I'd take the dog and camera out for a dawn walk.

I have found that I need very much less sleep now though and this seems to be a legacy of the menopausal insomnia.

I had a hysterectomy at 38 , I am now 58 was advised by my specialist not to take HRT and its been 20 years of hell, I have tried most alternatives but I have to say alcohol and caffeine definetely make the flushes worse . I have a recipe book called Natural Alternatives to HRT by marilyn Glenville and its all soya and fish , no red meat . It certainly helps but has to be a way of life and no alcohol which is totally boring > What I would like to ask is how many years can the menopuse go on for

I had an hysterctomy a few years ago too, and also had the HRT patches. However now I am in my early 50s and definitely still having the hot flushes, so presstogo1 the HRT would probably not have made any difference. I think the length of time can vary, and some lucky people don't even notice the "change" happening..... I certainly have, and I don't like what I have changed into

I have always been a 'hot' person, so when the menopause arrived I experienced streaming with sweat every 30 minutes! After 10 years it only happens a few times a day, but always on getting into bed, despite sleeping with only a sheet for cover.I do use cotton sheets with good old fashioned crisp starch, so there is always a cool spot for my feet.
For 4 a.m.waking, I think of a category and go through the alphabet to find a word for each letter. I usually fall asleep before reaching the difficult ones like 'X'.

I have rejected the HRT option, as the link with breast cancer is too strong for me to consider it - my mum died from breast cancer 7 years ago, aged only 66. She had been taking HRT.

The hot flushes started for me about 3 years ago, and have been intermittent ever since then. Alcohol and carbs definitely makes them worse. I am controlling the latter but much less the former!

One remedy that I have found to make a difference is Boots Menolieve.

I have been waxing lyrical so much about this on Mumsnet recently that I suspect people must think I work for Boots/am taking commission!

It is amazing. I can really recommend it.

I have heard of women in heir eighties still getting hot flushes but surely that is extreme.
I consider myself lucky that I did not suffer during the menopause except for a little more pain, but it did take ten years from confirmation by blood test to cessation.

Have you thought of buying yourself a little cheap personal CD player then you can listen to Audio books when you wake up and can't get back to sleep? They are free to borrow from any library if you have a library card and they never fail to work for me. Hope this helps you.

I contemplated snow angels but didn't want frostbitten bum cheeks

A tiny DAB radio with earphones - then you can have the choice of boring World Service or something more interesting on Radio 4 extra.

Hi
I still have them, I was on HRT for 10 years came off on doc's orders 5 years ago, but still get the odd flushes now although not as frequently.
I get up and listen to radio or read then go back to bed I find that I sleep then up for about 30mins to 1 hour.

as well as hot flushes -

6 other lousy things they never told you about ageing:

- menopause insanity

- you get bald patches in your eyebrows (why??)

- your pubes go straight, sparse ... as well as grey

- just as your your kids are away and married, you end up being a full time carer for your mother

- big pants

- those 'comfort shoes' with velcro actually start to look tempting

Thank God we get grandchildren to compensate.....

-

Hi Sneetch

Girl - get drugs! I had a particularly aggressive menopause with terrible hot flushes and all the other horrible side affects. I tried to wait it out. When I finally went to my gynaecologist (NOT GP) she was brilliant. Not only did she put me on low level oestrogen patches called Evorel Conti but she took a blood test and found my testosterone was really low resulting in low libido, loss of pubic hair, etc, So she gave me a testosterone patch called Intrinsa, too. I have never looked back. No symptoms. I have my life (and sex life) back.