Anyone else hoping for the menopause soon?

Oh Jams I think you have opened a can of worms here! Do you really think the menopause will be an improvement? Brace yourself!

Are you sure there's nothing medically wrong. It shouldn't go on like that for 9 years. Apart from anything else you may become anaemic. I had similar symptoms, turned out I had a large fibroid, had hysterectomy, problem solved, never looked back. Menopause a doddle. Try seeing another G.P. if you can.

Hormones good, hormones gone walkabout not so good. Be careful what you wish for Jams

Ignore the doom-sayers. Menopause is not necessarily as bad as all that. In my experience, that is. I had hot flushes for a few weeks and it was a hot summer, so may not have been caused by hormones.
But your problem is in the here and now. If there is more than one GP in you practice, get another opinion - preferably a female GP. Ask for a gynae referral if you aren't satisfied.

Sounds miserable jams

On balance would i choose:
Horrible periods
PMT
Feeling under the weather and unlike taking exercise about 50% of the time

or
Hot flushes

The hot flushes win.

But I agree if you have been having flooding for all that time, complain more. Men would not put up with it !

Ignore the doomsayers Part II. Menopause does not affect everyone badly. I hardly noticed. A few wee flushes. Couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

I'd be pestering my GP if I had the symptoms you have though, jams. Second opinion a good idea. Female doctor a good idea.

Menopause was for me a doddle, thank goodness. No hot flushes, periods just stopped. I was dreading it, so you just can't tell what may happen.

I had appalling flooding, even on the consultant's cream(!!!!!!) carpet but at least he believed me! It's a blessing not to have that any more but the "cure" turns out not to be so brilliant either!

I've mentioned my Atrophic Vaginitis before so won't go there again, but you could google it!

Agree you should go back to see a different (pref woman) GP. My (male) GP told me I was panicking because "no one ever died of a heavy period". the woman GP referred me!

10 years ago, at 55, I was like you Jams. Then along came a gorgeous young GP registrar, who read my notes and put me on a 'new' treatment - a daily pill, part period suppressant and part HRT. Wonderful! Took that for 3+ years and then I retired and regular GP suggested I stop and see what happened. I had last pill on the Boxing Day, a small 2 day bleed at New Year 2004 and that was that - nothing since. I wish I could remember the name of the medication but selective amnesia had erased that awful time from memory until I saw your post.

In my 30s I had a similar problem. My GP said 'It's your age...' What? at 35? Anyway, we moved and had to get a new GP who immediately diagnosed an issue with my IUD (Do they still use those?), whipped it out and back to normal. At 43, menopause. Cheers!

As several others have said - menopause is not necessarily so difficult. I'd had a hysterectomy for prolapse, so no period type problems (I still had ovaries) Thought I'd be on the safe side and take HRT when it was the right time. Didn't like it, stopped after a few weeks, virtually no symptoms and no problems. Agree that you need treatment for your current problems - menopause could still be a long way off and you shouldn't have to put up with that. Good luck.

Chemo and Tamoxifen sorted it out for me, but the mood swings before all that stuff were horrific, like PMT but twenty times worse. Ah well.....

The menopause was not so bad for me I could have done without the hot flushes mind !
I also used to have heavy periods and as I was constantly anaemic, so I used to feel faint a lot.
But its true you would be better off seeing a lady GP, male GPs are like most men ,they think its a lot of fuss over nothing, and besides its a hell of an expense every month !
The only thing I missed about periods is the fact I still had hormones which ment I still had a figure that went in and out in the right places now I seem to have lost my waist where did it go ????????
The menopause is like pregancy and child birth, there is always someone out there who can't wait to tell their horror stories when in fact most of us just get on with it and looking back it turns out ok

This doomsayer would just like to redress the balance a little and say that the menopause is not always a doddle. I won't go into it as you'll probably be perfectly ok - but I found it awful - regardless of the most positive attitude I could muster. (And no possibility of HRT either).
I have a great female GP, and although you say there is no medical problem, I would still go back to your doc. and/or get a second opinion. In this day and age this is really no need for you to continue with your miserable symptoms .

kittylester server the silly so and so right for having a cream carpet.
Female gps may not always be sympathetic - remember they survived junior hospital doctor training so they are tough cookies.
While no one ever died of a heavy period they can make you anaemic surely.

jessM we are and they can!

LOL - Yes I certainly do seem too have opened a can of worms. Sorry ladies, not laughing at your experiences, I just didn't expect so many responses. Thank you everyone, but I have seen many different doctors at different practices, even the hospital. There is nothing wrong - it's 'just' the perimenopause. I am not anaemic, just extremely tired and immensly crabby (to say the least).
I know there are many women out there who have a rough time during menopause (and after), but I honestly do not know anyone who had a bad experience of the menopause (watch me be the only one now lol) and I have friends and colleagues who went through it very early (late 20's) to those in their 60's.
There may be some light at the end of the perimenopause tunnel, as last month wasn't bad at all (the first time in years that I haven't been sat with feminax, painkillers and a hot waterbottle for the first two or three days). So, hopefully that wasn't an aberration and perhaps the start of a change (so to speak).

I would say check out the flooding - I had that and it was fibroids so I had a hysterectomy. No problems for 10 years up to age 52 then a terrible menopause for 10 years in all, flushes, mood swings, insomnia from night sweats, panic attacks, palpitations - you name it. Put up with it for two years, then had HRT for three years which took it away again, was advised to stop after three years and then another five years of same, dreadful for the first three then gradually tailing off. I get the impression that my French doctor things it is fine to stay on HRT and to be honest I wish I had.

That's GN, jams. As many opinions and varieties of experience as there are members, and all willing to give our tuppenceworth! Anytime!

Menopause-what's that? Had no symptoms whatsover just periods tailed of -less frequent and less heavy so no more expense on tampons,etc.

Sympathy and support for those not so lucky.

Yes well it did come as a surprise to me. Sailed through pregnancy and childbirth, very healthy, active, enjoying a demanding but rewarding job and then in my early fifties wham - hit by sledgehammer of gruesome menopause, which went on for ten years. Tried all the diets and supplements, nothing worked except HRT. I was unlucky as all the negative reports came out when I was on it and the doctors told me to stop taking it; I gather the advice is a bit different now.

When I was 42 I went to the doctor as I had all the symptoms of pregnancy (before over the counter tests).
I went back the next day ..test was negative ..''so I think you must be pre-menopausal''.........suddenly I wished I was pregnant (well for a millisecond!!!)
For a few yrs had heavy but irregular periods, very sore boobs and felt so tired all the time. Dr prescribed very high doses of Evening Primrose oil which helped but I cried when I realised what my first 'hot flush' was.
After a period just before a cruise holiday when I was 47 I never had another......and 'that was that'.
''That was That '' for another part of my life on that holiday as well...but that's another story !!!!!
Took Solgar Dong Quai for hot flushes and never looked back.
The peri-menopause was awful I dreaded 'the real thing'....My mother and Grandma used to talk about it in 'Hushed tones' and almost in code and it sounded like the worst thing to happen in your life!!!!!

I am currently 53, haven't had a period for over 2 years. Towards the end some of them could be horrendously heavy. (I particularly remember going to meet with a client in Wimbledon, only just made it to the loo after getting off the train, tampon and pad soaked through)

Now? Hot flushes, night sweats that wake me up and make me feel as if I need to go and have a shower. (make do with a rub down with a towel, so as not to wake up too much). Also seem to have a loss of confidence, not good when you are going to present to a potential client, pitching for business worth a possible £250,000!

I have to choose clothes with care, polo necks are out, as If I do start to have a flush (and they are more likely when stressed, e.g presenting, as mentioned above) any clothes that are close-ish around the neck are awful.

Some days at home, especially this time of the year when the weather is cold, my jumper is on and off like a whores drawers!

I think, to paraphrase that song from Hair "This is the dawning of the age of the cardigan, the age of the cardigan, ooooh...., the cardigan , the cardigan....knitwear that you shed so easy, pockets that are oh so handy, tissues in their depths are ready, to wipe faces flushed and sweaty, the cardigan, oooh the cardigan..........."