The Dreaded Menopause!

More exercise helps maybe. Brisk walk every single day.

I found Holland & Barrett's 'Flash Fighter tablets' worked well for me with the hot flushes. (Yes, I know there's no proof etc. Jess).

As you already take a lot of exercise and are doing all the other things you mention, gettingonabit, perhaps things will settle down soon. I hope so.

Could you not find a more sympathetic GP at the surgery? Are there any female doctors there?

I was on HRT but the sweating was still horrendous and on many occasions made me feel embarrassed when at work.

I had a dreadful menopause that lasted ten years. I was fit and healthy before it started, but I had dreadful flushes that meant I was soaked half the night, mood swings, feelings of terror... I had a very demanding job with an hour's commute on a fast and busy road and I was in a dreadful state after a few months. I tried all sorts of diet changes and natural remedies, but in the end I took HRT and once the dose was right it was like a miracle, I was back to normal. I took it for three years until I finished work and then stopped because my doctor in England told me to stop as soon as I could, then struggled through six or seven more years of gradually diminishing symptoms. I think some people try to make you feel guilty about HRT; when I was on it, there was all the research that made out that it was risky and that research was then disproved by subsequent studies. Any risk there was, was more than worth it to me and I wished that I hadn't given up so soon. My French doctor would have happily given it for much longer I think.
So I would say, change your doctor and take what you need to take. Lots of people will tell you that they sailed through the menopause with no symptoms, but we are not all the same and you have to do what is right for you. I sailed through childbirth, but I wouldn't dream of telling people that it is easy for everyone. I think there are still a lot of strange attitudes to the menopause in society of the "oh she's just a bit menopausal" variety and it needs to be challenged. Good luck; the Menopause Matters forum is the best place for help and advice.

GNHQ how about getting Dr Heather Currie of Menopause Matters in for a webchat next year?

Sounds like an excellent idea Mamie,I am 55 and on HRT at the moment,absolutely dreading coming off it and returning to Hot flushes etc.

gettingon I tried to deal with the symptoms myself too, I had a terrible time, I dont know how I continued to work. I went to DR and was put on HRT and it has been a life saver for me.
I changed surgeries and have a fantasic Lady Dr who continued to prescribe, then on my review she was on holiday and I saw a male Dr in the prctice who took me off and I went into the downward spiral again after 1yr of suffering again I went back to my Lady Dr who was furious that her collegue had refused the prescription and swiftly restarted me again, and I can function again... You have to do whats best for you so try to see another Dr in the practice, we are not all the same, my Mum went through the menapause without any symptoms I think I got her share.

I think having a web chat with Dr Heather Currie of Menopause Matters is a great idea Mamie, GNHQ what do you think?

Flash Fighters from Holland & Barrett worked for me too.

I hit the dreaded menopuse at 38 and had HRT for a few years but then started to feel off so doctor told me I could always give them up. I did and at the ripe old age of 45 it was all done and dusted. Had very mixed feelings at the time but all in all glad to see the back of it!

gettingonabit do you think you might have a touch of Seasonally Affected Disorder (SAD) as well as the menopause?

I worked with someone who had this, and she found that a special "daylight" lamp on her desk helped.

Thanks so much, all. I seem to be getting off quite mildly compared with some of you,though.

I think part of the problem with the meno is that it's difficult to isolate the symptoms and attribute them directly to the meno. Apart from the flushes and sweating, most of the symptoms are pretty generic. And it's not an illness either, which is why I find it a bit embarrassing to go to the doc again.

Phoenix I agree about SAD. I have a lamp, and I can genuinely say it's transformed those dark evenings. I'd start a SAD lamp appreciation society if I could! I think all lamps should come with a SAD bulb option. I think they're becoming more common, but it will take a while for them to become mainstream, I think.

Another thing that's helped me is reading a kindle instead of books and papers. The light is so much better.

I've hijacked my own thread now!

Yes to a web chat too: great idea.

Well my experience of the menopause has been rather different, in terms of remedies. My menopause was very late, only starting at the age of nearly 60. The night flushes were the worst. i hardly got any sleep, so I was exhausted during the day. By chance I discovered (a 3 week trip to Japan) that by excluding dairy ( including butter) lessened my hot flushes dramatically. It took a good 3 weeks before I noticed the difference, but I'm still on a dairy free diet and the hot flushes remain manageable. The moment I have dairy they return, the more I eat the longer they last and the worse they are. It is virtually impossible to cut dairy out completely, but if I manage to for any length of time then I become my old self! I have passed this on to friends and if they preserve they also see the difference. It's not for everyone, but worth a try if you're desperate.
Good luck and I hope you gradually see an improvement anyway.

Dairy is a trigger for me, too. I never get hot flushes now as I rarely eat any cream, which was the main trigger, although strangely I can eat greek yoghurt.

St.John's Wort has been my main help as I did get very low, at any time of year rather than just late winter and spring.

Other than the lowness and occasional hot flushes, no problems at all, I have been very lucky, I have walked into rooms at parties and seen women with scarlet faces brought on by alcohol. That would really upset me, not being able to have at least one glass at a social Do.

Also among my age group, 50s, women seem strangely unwilling to talk about it and when I think about it, women rarely do, I wonder why? It was quite hard to get any information other than online.

I think it is still a subject that makes people feel uncomfortable. Some people / websites even still talk about it as if it is a problem exacerbated by older women losing their looks / empty nest syndrome/ having no meaning in their lives and other such b***ocks. Many doctors seem very under-informed and people suggest all sorts of unhelpful "cures", which often have more than a hint of the "pull yourself together, woman."
I think that the more we can do to bring the discussion out in the open, to be honest about how we are feeling, to fight for better information and treatment, the better it will be. I know I am an unreconstructed seventies feminist, but women campaigning together made changes for the better then and I don't think we should stop now.
GNHQ have said they will investigate the Heather Currie idea.

It seems ridiculous that in this day and age when most women will talk very freely about their sex life and all sorts of other things that my mother, now 78, would have been horrified to discuss, people of my age will not help each other out with information about the menopause, and after having given it a lot of thought, I have come to the rather sad conclusion that they do not like to admit to being of that age. They are in denial because they want to either feel, or appear to be, younger. Not everyone, but a high percentage.

As I couldn't wait for my periods to be at an end, I couldn't care less, any amount of flushes would compensate for the freedom I now feel. Maybe I'm unusual? I do remember a friend telling me that many women hated the thought of a hysterectomy, as they felt that they would feel less female. I just thought, how lovely, I want one, no more worrying about contraception, but unfortunately never needed one.

I was on HRT for ten years, but decided this year, just before my 60th birthday, to stop. I suffered from hot flushes and night sweats again, and had a really miserable few months. However, it IS settling down, and I'm feeling well and happy now. I use Gynest cream to help prevent vaginal atrophy, and try to keep fit and healthy. As I understand it, there are few risks for women in their 50's, but it's not known what the long-term effects are for older women. I'm lucky to have a sympathetic and considerate GP who is willing to listen to me, which is invaluable.

Good luck to those still suffering!

The connection between symptoms and dairy produce is interesting. I find that when I eat my usual diet( comprising rice, salads, couscous, peppers, tomatoes etc I feel better. I assumed this was because it was a healthier way to eat. Now i wonder whether it's a lack of dairy produce that's responsible. I hardly eat any cheese, being on MFP ( just not worth the calories..) normally but head straight for it over the hols. It's just so easy when you can't get your normal stuff to pig out on cheese ( and butter with that lovely white bread toast.)

humming' vaginal atrophy? Blimey!

I am on HRT, and it has really helped me . I could barely work for the hot flushes,panic attacks, and depression, dreading the day I have to stop it

Well don't stop it I've just gone back on it after 6years without it .
Feel great flushes gone sex great! Still got itchy bits though trying different creams.I am 66 and persuaded my doctor who's female to let me have it.Quality of life is important to me,strange panicky feelings have gone.I have to go back next week for some more,I think she will agree but will buy them on line if not.

Can you buy it online?

Elenka if you do buy online be careful which site you use and pay by credit card.

When I was in the US for three months I ran out of BP meds and went on a site that claimed to be Canadian - it was in fact in China and the meds never came but my credit card company refunded the money.

Forgot to add, even if you do receive the meds they could be counterfeit.

I am so pleased to see this thread on here. I have only recently started the menopause 'proper' having been peri of the last 5-6 years. In the last few months I have been having some dreadful flushes and find that I'm struggling when I eat as after a meal I become terribly bloated and uncomfortable. I too hadn't considered dairy as the culprit of some of my symptoms, but am happy to try excluding it to see. My biggest problems are the utter exhaustion after an ordinary day, disturbed sleep and weight gain which has arrived ironically with a lack of appetite, but most overwhelming of all are the mood swings, which drop to such a low that I want to spend the day crying, something that's very much not me. I still consider myself lucky so far that it's not been 'too bad," but as was already said, I can't always tell whether my symptoms are down to the menopause or if it's something else. I am really happy to hear other peoples views and agree that we really should be discussing it more openly. I read an article recently that said that we in the west view menopause as the ending of something and something to be mourned, whilst eastern cultures view it as very much the beginning of something and is something to celebrate. That's the philosophy I'm adopting and am trying hard to see it as a positive. Thank you gettingonabit for this. ��