No Symptoms

I am quite frankly shocked at some of the comments on here, thankfully not all women suffer during the menopause but others do, comments like “no one used to complain” or “we get the menopause we expect” are insulting to the many women suffering with very little medical support. I have to say thank goodness we no longer “keep our heads down whilst scuttling aroung mumbling that we mustnt grumble” and I hope future generations benefit from those of us who are speaking out and demanding the help we deserve. At my worst i was getting around 2 hours sleep a night, my hot flushes were not “getting a bit hot” it was waking up every couple of hours soaking wet...then having to get up the next day to hold down a very demanding full time job and make decisions as so many women do. Also having to explain during meetings why i had to excuse myself with sweat dripping down my face and back. I am now on my 3rd different brand of HRT and hoping I have finally got this under control. I would just ask that if you are one of the fortunate ones please show a little compassion for what other women may be going through and understand our need for this to be taken seriously not only by the medical profession but out families and colleagues alike. I can assure you serious menopause symptoms are very real for some of us and such derogatory comments are neither helpful or compassionate.

janeainsworth. Apologies, I don’t have time to answer every single post though I do answer every single PM.
If, as another poster said earlier, just one person is saved from the problems associated with oestrogen deficiency I will be well satisfied.
We women receive little information on the long term effects of the menopause. It is one of the last taboos. All you hear about are hot flushes and night sweats when, in reality, it is the long term effects which are most debilitating. My personal concern is osteoporosis. My mother suffered from it, and I mean SUFFERED.
I have friends suffering from back pain, osteoarthritis, vaginal atrophy etc. all of which could probably have been prevented had they been aware that unless contraindicated for them they could have taken the hormone they lacked, just as type 1 diabetics take the hormone insulin, and those with thyroid problems take the hormone thyroxine.
I am giving facts, not advocating that everyone takes HRT. I want every woman to know she has a choice at menopause and understand what early depletion of oestrogen will do to their bodies long term.
Everything I say can and should be read up on by women. If it is too late for you then perhaps your daughters can make an informed choice.
31 years of researching oestrogen therapy advances, I usually recommend the NICE guidelines on the menopause as a starting point for those interested in the subject.
Yes, as you said, there are small risks associated with HRT. There are, in my opinion more risks associated with not investigating if it might be appropriate for you at that stage of your life.
Decisions based on ignorance can badly affect the rest of your life.

I was 40 just stopped never looked back 62 now

I had absolutely no problems whatsoever with the menopause. I wish I could remember when it was, must have been in my 50s but honestly no idea.

I can, unfortunately agree with some on your list ... I was clueless about the menopause (47/48 as I recall) but definitely had some mood swings, exahausting tiredness, sweats, low libido, difficulty sleeping and vaginal atrophy (which sounds dire ... as tho something's about to drop off!!!) .... and like TrendyNannie6, I was also diagnosed with underactive thyroid. ^^ now and just about getting myself sorted.

I envy all you ladies who have had few problems with the menopause. I was initially delighted when in my fifties, my periods gradually became further apart and lighter. Periods had always been problematic in the sense of being both irregular and heavy. After my initial delight at longer intervals, I started to have periods of intense sweating, by which I mean visibly "running" perspiration, from both hands, face and body. Even if I were able to conceal this by simply moving away from people, my drenched clothing was clearly obvious! Talk about embarrassing! I tried HRT (which brought back the dreaded "periods"), and patches were useless as these simply would not stick to my skin after the first "hot flush" of the day (or night). I had to resort to taking several changes of clothing with me whenever I had to go to work, or even just shopping. This grew less over time, but to this day - I'm now 73 - I feel as though my personal "thermostat" is broken. I can still get hot flushes, though they are less obvious. Stress is a definite trigger, as is concentration. Night times are still bad. I can't place my arms or legs across any part of my body without starting to perspire in the area "covered". I have washable pillows, but the majority of the pillowcase shows very easily the area, which is most of the pillow, where I have been sleeping. Even after soaking (with a stain remover) and washing, the perspiration stains are still obvious.

Delila as far as I have read starting HRT is not recommended long after the menopause.
Every woman is susceptible to the long term debilitating effects of low oestrogen levels, not just those who sail through the menopause.
I have read that women whose levels are low to start with seem to suffer fewer of the early side effects such as night sweats and hot flushes (at the other end of the scale if you think of the sometimes horrific effects of sudden depletion when ovaries are removed that makes sense)

My consultant once told me that they expected HRT to become routinely suggested to all women in the future around menopause because of the long term benefits to most, and the savings to the NHS due to not having so many women presenting with the problems of low oestrogen. (Hip and knee replacements and the like)
Obviously pre disposition to things like breast cancer would be taken into account and they expected the use of DNA to help predict the appropriateness of any medication.
I hope that has covered all your questions.
If you are older and want to try HRT why not discuss it with your GP?

I seem to have gone through menopause reasonably unscathed but my years having periods were awful. When in late teens and through my 20's I would get aweful cramps and minimum two days vomiting. From my 30's I suffered debilitating migraines for two days before my period started and up to three days at the end. I was on all sorts of drugs to enable me to function during these migraines. A few years ago the migraines only happened one or two days then just odd days every few months. I realised that my periods had become as irregular as the migraines and then both stopped. I'm in my 60's and have had neither period or migraine for about 10 years and am thankful that both have stopped. So much of my younger life was lost with me being unable to get out of bed or being stuck in the bathroom being sick and I was dreading menopause but I hope that I'm now done with all the hormonal stuff and can decline into old age disgracefully ?

Same here I had such a trouble free menopause,no hot flushes,nothing after I was 52.I think I might have some left overs as I am always feeling warm when everyone else is freezing.

I have found this post very reassuring. I was beginning to think that I was some sort of sub human freak because my periods just gradually slowed down and stopped. That was it!! I read all the horror stories and was dreading it. But absolutely nothing, except for one and that was a marked increase in my libido!! So sorry Espee I don't think I will be needing your medication.

I had dreadful symptoms until i started hrt 5 years ago?

Me too. Menopause age 47 - now 67 - no adverse reactions at all and am not expecting any as my mum lived to 97 in good health until the end! Fingers crossed!

I had heavy irregular periods prior to menopause, and bad migraine which unfortunately become chronic and still affect me. I only had the occasional hot flush.

Hello there
This facebook group maybe helpful

www.facebook.com/groups/258229171553413/?ref=share

Thanks again Esspee. I’ve heard a lot recently about the considerable protective qualities of HRT. Definitely worth looking into.

No problems here either. I had an endometrial ablation at 49 which completely stopped my periods and have been symptom free apart from the occasional feeling of extra warmth.

Weirdly, my very irregular periods suddenly became very regular as I turned 50 and then began to decrease in a similarly regular way! Every two months, three months, two in a year then nothing. No night sweats, no hot flushes, no mood swings, etc. Maybe a little weight gain which I've got rid of by 5:2 fasting. My mother had the same experience though.

jaybee66

Mine stopped mid fifties and I had psychologically told myself I wasn't going to have a menopause and apart from a few hot sweats no problems at all.

So, natural biological changes, such as the menopause, can be controlled by "mind over matter"?

Must try positive thinking to tell myself that I won't succumb to other signs of getting older.

Same with me - periods just fizzled out at age 50ish and then I had a hot flush a few times and that was it.

I also ‘sailed through it’ - just realised after a couple of months that it had happened. No ill effects at all. So thankful.

I expected to sail through as my mother did, however because she had her last baby at 43 GP advised her to stay on the pill. She went off the pill at 53 and no symptoms at all. Unfortunately, even with my positive attitude, it wasn’t as easy for me. Night sweats I could handle as I am a good sleeper but brain fog and fatigue were debilitating given I had a stressful job with long hours. Anyhow, all good now at 62 but I do get frustrated with doctors who blame menopause for everything!!!!

Lucky you.

I saw a renowned, but controversial hormone specialist, when I was 28 - she prescribed natural progesterone from then, stopping it for another pregnancy, and then continuing it until two years after my last period. As she predicted, i didn't have any menopausal symptoms at all!

I had very heavy periods from age 14-17. Then spent 25 years on the pill (apart from pregnancies) completely trouble free. Stopped pill and that’s when hell unleashed itself. Really heavy periods every 28 days for 10 days a month where sometimes I could not even walk across a room I was in such pain. Perimenopausal where I was literally standing in a puddle of water a lot of the time. Went on HRT patches at 47 which made me itch then prescribed tablets. Stopped at age 50 then not a single period again. I felt pretty well throughout my 50’s as my symptoms went. Something changed when I was 63. Now I’m 65 and utterly miserable with osteoarthritis in both hips and shoulders, night sweats, pounding heart rate, libido gone, no energy, can’t sleep, etc.

Could I really go and ask for HRT again? I’m sorely tempted.

I found the lead up to the menopause the worst part, in terms of blinding, terrible headaches, aching legs, feeling faint, and other, more unsavoury issues.

Once the menopause arrived, it was just the hot sweats; although saying "just" doesn't begin to explain how debilitating they can be.
I was 45 ish, I think.

I cried when the doc said I couldn't have HRT, just because of sweating so much.

Saying that, I think messing with hormones always has side effects, so I'd probably have headaches again if I'd taken it.