Menopause webchat with Liz Earle

Kazzy

My question is this, my Dr put me on HRT but many people have told me that it only delays things and that as soon as you come off it you get menopause symptoms back, I asked the Dr and she said there was no evidence of this but everyone is different ! What are your thoughts on this ?

HRT is a daily treatment with no cumulative effect - the day we stop taking it, our body reverts to its natural hormone level at that time and there are no ongoing benefits. However, there is no upper age limit for taking it - indeed many women in their 70’s, 80’s or 90’s still take HRT. This is just one of the many myths on HRT I’ve busted in the summer edition of Liz Earle Wellbeing magazine or on the menopause section of Liz Earle Wellbeing – worth a read!

M0nica

I am someone else who had an almost symptomless menopause. I did develop fibroids in the run up, but the menopause puts paid to them.

The one thing I did do is start gaining weight. It became impossible to lose weight my usual way of reducing food intake and upping exercise. Over about 5 years, despite every attempt to stop the weight gain and get back to my accustomed weight I put on about 21 lbs and was lumbered with it until I was about 70, when my metabolism returned to normal and I succeeded in losing all the extra weight I had gained in a couple of months and I have been back at my pre-menopausal weight, now, for nearly five years. Is this a menopausal problem, and how common is it?

My daughter is now approaching the menopause and is wondering whether she might have the same problem and is there anyway she can avoid it..

Our metabolism slows as we age, it’s a sad fact that we need to eat a little less and move a little more - research shows we need to eat 200 calories a day less than we did in our thirties just to maintain a steady weight. Switching to low GI can be really helpful and also help with sugar cravings and mood swings. All the recipes in The Good Menopause Guide are low GI for this reason.

gardenoma

Good to see there are some more ladies in their 70s still coping with hot flushes! I saw a doctor in a menopause clinic who could only prescribe clonedine, which reduces the number of really intense flushes but I still get them regularly as clockwork every 45-50 mins. I was told by my gp, when I decided enough is enough I now want quality of life.. that I'd missed my slot for HRT as it would now be too risky to start. Does this mean I'll go on till I die?? I have tried virtually all the alternative solutions on the market these 20 years without any improvement whatsoever. Have you any advise??

You have definitely not missed your slot for HRT and being in your 70’s does not mean, according to the latest NICE guidelines, that it would be too risky to start. My advice is to read up on the subject, download a copy of the NICE guidelines and go back to your GP armed with all the up to date information. All doctors can prescribe any form of HRT.

nixon

What can I do about brain fog? It's got so bad recently I even worried it might be early onset dementia. I am reassured by conversations with friends who are also going through the menopause but am so frustrated not being able to think of things I could easily have done a year ago. Any tips?

Brain fog is one of the lesser known symptoms associated with the menopause, caused by shifting hormones and can be addressed – for most women – by HRT.

LizH13

I had a hysterectomy aged 40, then almost 20 years on HRT. During this time it was the best I've ever felt. 5 years ago mY GP would no longer prescribe the patches. Since then, I have put on weight, (hard to move) don't sleep well, low mood and anxiety, for which I take fluoxetine, have brain fog, vaginal atrophy and worst of all the flushes and sweats. I've tried soya products, sage tablets, cutting out caffeine but nothing seems to make any difference. I'm sure I could feel better if only the flushing/sweats were less. Any advice would be welcome.

This is absolutely awful, I feel outraged on your behalf. If you get no luck, it would be well worth a second opinion.

Breda

I have spent the last 15 years battling with menopause and it has driven me absolutely mad. I had a hysterectomy when I was 36 and started menopause at 49. I am now 64 and still suffering miserable episodes which have severely affected my overall health. As a person who enjoyed extremely low blood pressure even when pregnant with each of my four children I now have worryingly high blood pressure, and that’s despite being a healthy weight following a good diet, lots of exercise and yoga, never a smoker or a drinker. I would love someone to tell me how best I can cope with this, so that life would be more bearable.

I feel like I have lost so much time struggling to cope, and apart from medication to attempt to control my BP (which has been mosty unsuccessful) my GP hasn’t been able to help at all.

I’m so sorry to hear this. HRT could help here and just to reiterate, there is no upper age limit for starting HRT according to the latest NICE guidelines

lexigran

One thing I have noticed these last few years is a lack of confidence. I see a job or activity and think "I could do that", then I talk myself out of it. I also have a lot of CRAFT moments...Can't remember a flippin thing!
I attribute the above to the menopause rightly or wrongly.
Will these things improve again or I am going to be Crafty forever ?

Low mood and anxiety is unfortunately a very common symptom of the menopause, you may or may not find it passes but unfortunately for most women it can often simply get worse. I’d suggest a discussion with your GP and consider trying HRT. You could try it for 3-6 months to see if it made any difference to how you feel. Good luck.

SuzC

How do I actually know when I am in menopause territory?

I suffer from hot flushes (any random time of day) and wake up in the night sweating terribly.
Despite eating the same/less than I ever have the pounds are creeping on, especially over the last year. No matter what I do (diet/exercise), I can't seem to lose them.
My patience levels are also shortening and I find myself upset or angry, or both - sometimes quite irrationally.

Yet at 46 everyone keeps telling me that it is too soon for me to menopausal!

Would I have to have a blood test to be able to determine? I'm not one for going to the doc's and generally soldier on with most things!

It definitely sounds as though you are perimenopausal - the average age for perimenopausal symptoms such as yours if 45. There is not much point in having a blood test as hormone levels fluctuate from week to week. In fact the latest NICE guidelines say doctors should not give blood tests to women over the age of 45 and that they should simply prescribe HRT on their symptoms alone.

malki

I am 52 and have not had a period for six months. In the last month or so I have started to notice what might be some sort of stress incontinence - not when coughing/sneezing/laughing etc but when I need to urinate it's as though I can't quite hold it in. It's only sometimes. I have not had children and never had any pelvic floor issues in the past. Is this linked to menopause and what can I do?

Yes unfortunately this is linked to the menopause. Lowering oestrogen levels can affect our pelvic floor due to reduced muscle strength. Taking HRT can obviously help or you could even consider ‘vaginal rejuvenation’ where lasers are used internally to help increase collagen production which in turn strengthens the opening around the bladder area which then helps to reduce incontinence.

onandon

I seem to be displaying a lot of the typical symptoms of menopause. Weight gain, mood swings, irritability and so on and so forth. My periods stopped about four months ago but for the last couple of weeks I have felt very much like I am 'pre menstrual' and along with this have very tender breasts and the odd cramp. is this normal? Does it mean my period is on its way? I know that you have to have a year without to be truly in the menopause and I know various people who have had stop start periods before this happened.

What we often don’t appreciate is that before the menopause there can be many years of menopausal symptoms during the period called the perimenopause. It sounds very much as though you are in the middle of this. Worth reading up on the subject on websites such as the British Menopause Society and considering HRT.

Thank you

I'll be 70 this year and I'm very glad I'm on HRT. I'm in much better condition than many women my age. I am wondering if the benefits reduce with time though.