Yes, I am cured hallelujah it’s a miracle!
After many months of trying various treatments, I’ve finally said goodbye to all my horrid menopause symptoms. I say my symptoms because they do vary for everyone & if you were to look at a list of possible symptoms you’d probably want to punch yourself in the face. There are a lot. Mostly these symptoms are innocuous & merely annoying. Things such as hot sweats & waking throughout the night won’t kill you & are easy enough to tolerate, kinda. However, when you add a couple of debilitating side effects to the mix it becomes an altogether more frightening experience. You can read more about this in my earlier Menopost if you missed it or fancy a re-cap.
To cut a long story short the mental anguish of psychological symptoms led me to question my sanity on a daily basis. Add tinnitus & hair loss freaking me out in equal measure. Was I going deaf? Would I end up bald? Oh no, it was not going well at all. I tried the natural remedies for long enough until finally concluding they simply didn’t work for me. I finally went to my doctor for the good gear. I couldn’t go on torturing myself & those I loved with this erratic behaviour any longer. It wasn’t a case of coasting through the menopause, riding it out or just getting on with it because you know what? I didn’t bloody want to! This could be five to ten years of my life wasted, what’s more, these are the years of my kid’s childhood. I don’t want to be mean Mummy shouting at them or be so tired I miss the precious moments of daily family life. Who would I be out the other side? And what the hell is science for if not to make our lives better?
Do your research
I’ve always been one to research the hell out of a situation before taking the plunge. Whether that’s making a purchase, taking a holiday or seeking a medical solution – I like to educate myself on the facts beforehand. So I read up on HRT & found that the worry over cancer was highly exaggerated particularly when taking into account the severity of your symptoms. I wasn’t planning on using the meds long-term & I had no family history of heart disease, ovarian cancer, breast cancer or stroke. What’s more the pro’s for taking HRT were adding up when I discovered it lowers the risk of bowel cancer & protects your bones against osteoarthritis. By the way, there is no scientific data supporting weight gain as a side effect of taking HRT although some women do gain weight as a result of menopause. So off I went to my doctor. He recommended I start on a basic low dose tablet combination of estrogen & progesterone. In short, this was a complete waste of time & annoyingly my period came back Arrrgh! On the plus side, my hair grew thicker by the day, the hot flashes disappeared & I was generally feeling well. However, it still wasn’t anywhere near perfect & I knew in my heart that I could be better.
Now I really like our family GP, he’s always been very good but unfortunately, the treatment for menopause is not his forte. In fact, I’ve discovered that very few General Practitioners are up on the latest treatments rarely prescribing more than this single pill. Therefore it was up to me to dig deeper. Luckily around the same time, I had the great pleasure of meeting Leah Hardy, co-author of Your Hormone Doctor & all-round powerhouse …… Oh & expert on all things hormonal obvs. Naturally, I picked her brain & devoured her book which ultimately opened a magic box of Hormone Replacement Therapy. If you’re struggling to decide which path to take I recommend reading her book as it will give you clarity. The book explains the science of hormones in a fun & straightforward way with advice on various forms of treatment. I felt empowered to learn which specific hormones or lack thereof, were causing me this grief. Better still it gave me the tools to tackle my particular symptoms.
It’s O.K to take Hormone Replacement Therapy
I returned to my doctor armed with information on the meds I wanted, which to my surprise, he then had to look up. With a wry smile & a raised brow, he confirmed that they were indeed nationally approved. Turned out he hadn’t actually heard of the medication I was after, proves how little they know about treating menopause? I guess that confirms the widely viewed expectation that women should just “crack on” with it. Needless to say, that wasn’t the course I was willing to take.
So I educated my doctor who was more than willing to aid me. Alternatively, I could have paid to see a private gynaecologist but at this stage, I didn’t see the point. And so it was, the next form of treatment I tried had infinitely better results. I took my estradiol which is oestrogen (brand name Evorel) dose via a patch. This is the safest delivery option as it by-passes the kidneys. A patch is also more convenient because you only replace it twice a week. Coupled with that I took Utrogestan, body-identical progesterone tablet once a night. Significantly, this is not a synthetic progestogen which makes it the safer option.
As I said this treatment was an infinite improvement on the single pill of combined hormones. I literally felt elated although, in reality, I was probably just back to my old self. I’d been dragging my sorry arse around for so long (years in fact) I’d forgotten what normal was. It was properly life-changing I kid you not.
However, there were still glitches that needed attention. One thing I took particular offence to was my skin flaring up with angry boils. I have never had acne or anything even remotely like it so getting these hideous lumps on my face aged 49 was unacceptable to me. I also contemplated changing the delivery method of my progesterone from a nightly pill to the safer & more convenient Mirena.
The Mirena is a tiny intrauterine system shaped like a T. Placed inside the womb by a specially trained doctor or nurse. It slowly releases the hormone levonorgestrel. Now the beauty of this is the hormone goes directly to the uterus where it’s needed. Plus the amount required is significantly reduced because it isn’t going through other organs. You wanna know the best part of all? If I was a suitable candidate it would be in for 5 years WOOHOO! That means all I have to do is change my patch twice a week & I’m good to go.
Still, I did give it a lot of thought until finally deciding I needed a chat with my ObGyn. Basically, I wanted an expert to confirm I had an accurate grasp of how it works.
Turns out I was spot on. All that was left to do was book an appointment. After the initial consultation & swab test, I was given another appointment for 6 weeks time with the specially trained GP of my local practice. She was excellent & the fitting went off without a hitch. It was actually quite painful & surprisingly became even more so later that day. The next day I felt queasy & bloated but thankfully that passed by the following day. Since then not a peep out of my Mirena & I’m feeling fabulous!
How to get some Sleep
Last but by no means least, the third & final requirement for killing my menopause was the battle for a good nights sleep. I surrendered to broken sleep 12 years ago when I realised my first-born was never going to play along. Following closely were breastfed babies number two & three regularly interrupting my REM’s. Fast forward to now & the children are all basically sleeping through the night. I felt there was nothing standing in the way of my elusive slumber. I was wrong, oh how wrong I was. Perimenopause swiftly followed by her full-on sleep stealing sister, menopause. Once again, sleep was my enemy.
Gone but not forgotten, I realised this time was different because for once, I was in control. I set to formulating my plan of action. First I had to stop eating & drinking anything past 8.30 pm. Secondly no phone or laptop in bed – That’s harder than it sounds when you’re a blogger. And thirdly, most importantly of all was a comfortable mattress. Our current mattress was just terrible. To be fair from the moment we bought the thing it wasn’t quite right. The issue had been how to get a king-sized mattress up the narrow loft stairs into our bedroom on the third floor. No can do baby. The mattress company suggested a zip-link, which is effectively 2 singles zipped together. It didn’t work, for whatever reason, the mattress wasn’t comfortable & got worse over time. I mean we paid a bloody fortune for that thing so I have no idea what the problem was. All I know is both Mark & I never got along with it. A few years passed & my menopause hit so I said to Mark “We gotta ditch this bloody thing & try something completely different, it’s just not working” He barely paused for thought & said go for it.
I set about finding something new & innovative that would suit two different requirements. Mark is in the soft camp, I’m in the firm. Next was the pretty major issue of simply getting the damn thing into our bedroom. To my complete & utter surprise, someone had invented a hybrid foam mattress which actually comes rolled up into a very transportable cardboard box! Not only that but the mattress would adjust to the specific bodyweight lying on it! To be honest I was totally skeptical even up to the first moment I laid on it. But guess what? I had nothing to worry about, it was AMAZING, absolutely INCREDIBLY comfortable for both of us! So shockingly brilliant was our first nights sleep on the Simba that the following morning we literally turned to each other & said “seriously good” no joke we did! And let me tell you, my husband & I discuss sleep, our personal lack of it & who gave up the most, a lot! Not a word of exaggeration. Although if you have children I don’t need to tell you.
In case you’re wondering. it has been a couple of months now & there’s no change, still comfy as heck.
Righteo so that’s me done, I’m off to Bedfordshire. Nighty night lovelies xxx
P.S. As always with a Menopost please do feel safe to leave any advice or comment about your experiences. The discussion on these posts is what makes them so brilliant. You may not realise but they have helped a lot of women & I’m proud to bits of you all for sharing your stories!
Comments ( 55 )
Nancy
I am now about two years in menopause and getting crazy of those hot flashes! And my body changing, and my lack of libido. I spoke to my doctor, which is a woman, and she said there was nothing that could be done about that. All that! Perhaps I should ask a second opinion!
MT
Unfortunately that sounds like a typical response Nancy. There is a lot to be gained by seeking another opinion, in fact if you read Melissa’s comment you’ll see she tried 4 doctors before she was prescribed HRT! Don’t give up, you have every right to get rid of your symptoms, life’s too short to put up with them. Good luck & let us know how you get on xx
Melissa
Thank you for doing this! I’m 47 and in my experience the GPs I’ve seen have been shocking…it took me four different ones to get HRT, they all wanted me on antidepressants. I have migraine with aura so I knew patches or gel were safer for me. I now use evorel sequi (2 weeks 50mg oestrogen and 2 weeks oestrogen/progestogen). After 4 days my symptoms went…no more sweats, palpitations, tinnitus, anxiety, aching joints, nausea, dizziness, brain fog all gone. I haven’t even had one migraine (Amazing as I’ve had one or two a month for 30 years!). Like you I’m sort of after the best (although I am happy with these patches) which might be gel/patches with utrogesten but I know my gp will not know anything about it!! I’ve had a Mirena in the past as contraception- brilliant! But I had an ablation 4 years ago so I’m not sure if I can have that now or if it would thin my womb too much? Anyway, like you I was utterly shocked by how much better I feel…looking back I’ve felt bad for years…it happens slowly and I didn’t realise. One dr actually said come back when your older and you shouldn’t expect to feel as you did at 40!! Oh my god! I am so pleased you feel so much better and I hope all of this helps other women xx Melissa xx
MT
Gosh that is interesting your migraines even went Melissa! I’m not sure if the Mirena is suitable when you’ve had an ablation but it’s probably worth checking out. Isn’t it odd that a female doctor expected you to live with these awful side effects? You would think she’d be sympathetic? I think a lot still has to change, I’m damn sure if men gt menopause it would have been cured decades ago! 😉 heehee Thanks for sharing Melissa xxx
Sue
Hi there. I wonder if you would mind letting me know how you take your HRT, e.g. by patch, tablet etc, as I am very interested in your post being a sufferer of headaches and migraines that are much worse now I am at Perimenopause stage (age 47). Your experience of the medication and your success in getting rid of the migraines is very encouraging – I only hope it would work for me – it would literally be life-changing as the migraines are so frequent and debilitating. Thank you in advance, and thanks to Michelle for getting this subject discussed again. It is so helpful. Sue x
sara delaney
I love this post – am such a fan of HRT – I had the same annoying symptoms but already had the Mirena, and wanted to get the real me back. I found the most amazing resource through recommendation and went to an obgyn who specializes in menopaus and pre menopause – Dr Sovra Whitcroft, works in Harley Street and Surrey – amazing lady and fixes you right up – highly recommended! xx
MT
Now this is interesting that you already had the Mirena but still noticed symptoms. A friend of mine who has the Mirena for contraception asked me if she’d notice when she was perimenopausal. I wasn’t sure, plus she’s a bit ounger than me anyway. I’ll let her know what you said so she’s prepared. Thanks for the tip about Dr Whitcroft Sara, this is great for anyone local to London who needs more advice than their GP can give. xx
Maria | passion fruit, paws and peonies
My GP put his hands in the air like he surrendered and sent me to The Surrey Clinic, a hormone specialist clinic. Hoorah! It’s taken a long while for my medication to be tweaked bit by bit but I’m getting there too. Just like you, I’d forgotten what it was like to sleep through the night. Now if you could please write a post on how to remove the sticky residue from the oestrogen patch, that would be wonderful. My arse looks like a patchwork quilt!!
Wendy Kate
I used to use alcohol and cotton wool! Not sure you can buy the bottles of medical alcohol in the UK though (Brits cannot be trusted not to drink it, lol)
MT
Oooh just saw this! Brilliant thanks hon xxx Off to find black market alcohol 😉
MT
OMG yes! My arse is a patchwork too Hahahaha! Can’t wait to see how that looks in a bikini 😉 It’s stubborn right? I actually tried nail varnish remover would you believe? It didn’t budge. I’ve found letting it dry hen rubbing it off with a course towel sort of works but it aint perfect. This clinic in Surrey must be the one Sara just mentioned? xx
Wendy Kate
Hi Michelle, gosh, it’s all complicated, isn’t it! I am puzzled why you need more than just the patches, as I was on the evorel patches, which were excellent, I too felt euphoric and I do miss that feeling now…the problem for me was the heavy and painful periods. Then I was on tablets which I have forgotten the name of now, but they were not as good and I still bled (and strangely enough couldn’t handle my drink and also went off coffee and bread, how weird is that!) So having come off everything in January, I was fine for the first few months. Now I am getting the odd panic attack, as in I feel like I cannot breathe, but I am managing to reason myself through it, also knowing what it is helps, as before I did not.. I think I am ok and do not get heavy sweats or anything, but I am definitely more anxious about things that I need not be and I wasn’t like this on the hrt for sure. Sorry, this has turned into a longer message than I intended! x
MT
Ah ok a couple of things you migt want to consider here Wendy Kate. Firstly the Evorel patch contains only estradiol (oestrogen) so it’s usual to add a progestogen hormone to prevent thickening of the womb lining. I’m not sure why you weren’t prescribed this too. This is delivered to me via the Mirena I had fitted but before that I took a tablet called Utrogestan which is the body-identical hormone I mentioned in my post & a better option than the synthetic type. The good thing about this pill is that it’s soporific so if you take it in the evening it’ll have the added benefit of helping you sleep. Nothing about this should be euphoric. Incidentally you can take it continuously to prevent your period coming back, which is what I did at the time.
Those anxiety attacks you describe are truly awful yet very common, if you don’t want to put up with them you don’t have to. Some women feel able to talk themselves through, as you said but I wasn’t able to or at least it took a very long time to feel better. I couldn’t carry on with the situation as it was nor did I feel obliged to, especially when the answer is out there. It just might take a tinker to get it right for you as it did me, that’s all. Hangin there xxx
Suzy Turner (@suzy_turner)
Fortunately I’m not quite there yet… but it’s getting close, I’m sure! When it does hit, I’m going to be re-reading all your posts on the subject, Michelle! I’m also intrigued about the mattress… that’s something we might have to do when we’ve built the new house. We have got a great mattress now but the problem is, it’s so deep we struggle to find sheets to fit the damn thing!!
You look stunning, by the way, in that GORGEOUS kimono / robe <3
Hugs from a way too hot Algarve (!)
Suzy xxx
http://www.suzyturner.com
MT
Hi Suzy, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the post even though you’re not menopausal yet. I totally forgot to mention my robe is a cheapy from Tkmaxx xxx
Linda
Very interesting post. I haven’t experienced too many symptoms yet but continue to listen to my sisters to get a handle on what is to come. I am 51. Good to know about your mattress. We have a tempur and although it it is super comfy it radiates heat, so much so that in summer we can’t bare it. Do you find your mattress makes you feel hot?
MT
Oh radiating heat is definitely not ideal in menopause. That’s another plus for my Simba which adjusts to body temperature so is lovely, perfect in fact! xx
oldhouseintheshires
I’ve just had my Mirena removed as it made me feel so ill! I’m 45 and have some symptoms but they are manageable at the moment but I am going to look into the book you mentioned. I also take vitamin D and find that really helps with my energy levels. Thank you so much for this post. I’m going to take a look around your blog. #brilliantblogposts
MT
I wonder if you could share a bit more about your experience with the Mirena? It’d be helpful to know more about exactly how you felt ill. The Mirena is not the answer for everyone so it’s good to hear the downside as well as the positives. Thanks so much x
Amy
Very interesting and informative, thanks Michelle! And where is your gorgeous robe from? X
MT
Thanks Amy I appreciate that. My robe is from Tkmaxx xx
ABby@Midlifecrisisnut
You know I love your meno posts, Michelle! To see this (awful) process from another woman’s perspective and to feel assured that I’m not the only one going crazy over here – priceless! For everything else there’s – HRT. And OMG Girl you got me with the ‘Mark is in the soft camp, I’m in firm.’ comment! Ha ha Lots of love! xx Abby
MT
Teeheehee I love that you always appreciate my lame jokes babe xx
No Fear of Fashion
I am proud of you! Taking control of your own life like that. Researching and not taking no for an answer. And did you get rewarded for this!! ?!!?! Man, you must be soooo pleased, feel so happy. Congratulations.
Greetje
MT
Thanks Greetje yes it was a roundabout journey but I got there in the end thank goodness. I really hope other women take comfort in my process & realise they don’t have to settle for what the doctor says. Things can be better. Thanks for your continued support my friend xx
Asun
Thank you very much Michell for your meno post. Dont you know how important is for me. My english is no good enough but I want you to know that you put light in my life. I am know with the HRT pill but itsnt good for me. Palpitations are worst. I had used the Mirena for 10 years ( 5 each one) and my prívate my gynecologist take ir out. After read your post I am looking for a new gynecologist who knows bether the menopausia process in the real life for women who try to life hers lifes with energy and tranquility
MT
It sounds like the Mirena is a strong contender for you Asun. If you had one for a total of 10 years there’s no reason to think it won’t work for HRT just remember you also need to combine it with an oestrogen. Either by pill or patch. Although I recommend the patch as it by-passes the kidneys & is a safer form of delivery. Good luck & please keep me posted on your progress xx
Rachel
This is really interesting thanks
I have heard such mixed things about mirena, from people whom it plunged into very very black depression to those who love it. So glad you found what works for you after a relatively small amount of trial and error. Will def be giving that book a read.
I’m very lucky to work side by side with ob-gyns so can pick their brains when the time comes, which I know won’t belong!
MT
Hi Rachel, yes I’ve heard the Mirena is not for everyone so I had hoped like hell it wouldn’t be a problem for me. Even on the day of fitting I was nervous about my tilted uterus being an issue. Which could explain why it hurt so much but in the end it was fine thankfully. I think the most important thing here is to be in tune with our bodies/minds & know that when something doesn’t feel right we have to trust that feeling & get it seen to. So often we just put up with feeling poorly or worse, why is that? Are we so conditioned to ignore our own feelings that we let our health suffer? I include mental health with that of course. Actually that is probably the one thing we tend to ignore the most but can ultimately do the greatest harm. Depression is a killer, there’s no doubt about that.
Thanks for leaving this thoughtful comment xx
Michelle
Woman you are amazing! Not only have you refused to simply ‘get on with it’, you’ve actually taken control over your own health and life.
It never ceases to amaze me just how bad our health system is in this country. Don’t get me wrong, the National Health is a wonderful beast, but we simply have no idea how to enhance lives with medication. I have an American friend who is a doctor, (he also has a very holistic approach to healing). He thinks that our attitude to pain relief in the UK is bordering on barbaric. I think it all stems from our ‘stiff upper lip’ approach to life.
Life is way too precious to waste a single moment of it being unhappy with our health, both physical and mental. I think you hit the nail on the head when you suggest doing our own research.
Well done lady, well done!!
Michelle xxx
MT
Aw thanks mate that means a lot.
Your theory is spot on I reckon, sadly. I hate the idea of suffering for no apparant reason, it’s such a waste as you point out. Accepting a situation as it is because you don’t want to rock the boat or because you’re expected be strong, is ludicrous to me!
Digging even further into your comment makes me think of the terrible suffering people have to endure with terminal illness. For what? Perhaps religion plays a part but I suspect the real reason is simply the law. Crazy.
xxx
sequinist
After reading your posts on the subject, I’m always amazed this isn’t discussed more. I mean, 50% of the population goes through it, and it is somehow still a mystery?? Thank you for your refreshingly honest treatment of the subject. I’ll be ready for it when it starts! xx
MT
It’s quite ridiculous I agree Lisa. I’m thinking the next generation will be all over it though. There’s talk within the pharma industry to stop periods altogether until women are ready to concieve. I think they make a pretty excellent argument actually. The trouble to now has been getting around the church but the obvious benefits should win out in the end, surely? xx
Emerald
Shocking isn’t it? As if it’s something to be embarrassed about.
Emerald
Thanks for this! Such an important subject that was swept under the carpet, luckily not for my mum but certainly for both my grandmothers. I shudder to think how women of days gone by coped when it wasn’t supposed to be spoken about. Luckily I’m not having a bad time – thanks patches! I do plenty of cycling, yoga and swimming and follow a healthy vegetarian diet, but I still have a small tyre and larger, erm, assets. Meaning that a few of my nice frocks no longer fit me, the top half at least. I’ve comforted myself with the fact thst it’s good to be a wee bit padded out as we get older and that looking after our bones comes first.
Love the blog!
MT
Gosh you’re so right about having a little padding. As Catherine Deneuve famously said: “At a certain age, you have to choose between your face and your ass.” I can see my butt is as flat as a pancake & looks as if it’s actually sliding towards the ground! If only we could put the fat exactly where we wanted it, right? Emerald it’s so great to have you join our little community xx
sALL
When I first started taking HRT, the balance between the estrogen and progesterone (for me) was off and I felt like I was going to bust out of my bras. I upped the estrogen a teeny bit, and problem solved. I take 1 mg estradiol (I don’t mind the tiny daily pill) and 100mg of prometrium. They are wonderful and do the trick nicely!
Nora
Hello from the US, So glad I found this post, I love your attitude,, Michelle!
I have a history of thyroid malfunction, which can be as difficult to manage as menopause, because doctors have a single formula and aren’t interested in hearing it that it doesn’t work for everyone or researching other options. Isn’t it sickening? Their fundamental message is, you’re a woman over 40, poor thing, you’re SUPPOSED to be exhausted, heavy and cold, that’s how it’s meant to be, Nothing we can do!
I refuse. I REFUSE!
Last year, I found a doctor who was known to work with thyroid patients on their symptoms, not just their labs, and fortunately for me, he is great with menopause, too. Only a month after my first hot flash, I have an oestrogen patch. I’ve also had – , and this is what I wanted to post about – , a super low dose of testosterone via a pellet for the past few months.
The testosterone is life changing. I have my energy back. Apparently it can help your sex drive and joint pain (neither were an issue for me), But the best part is – the sleep. I now sleep like a man, I drop off anytime, anywhere, stay asleep a reasonable amount of time, wake up rested and energetic. I haven’t slept this well since I was 13 (and my estrogen kicked in).
I was a little surprised not to see it mentioned here because I’ve heard it’s much more accepted in the British medical community that in the US. In fact, the only other woman I know on a low dose of T is a friend living in the UK.
So Nancy, I hope you can find someone helpful because there are good solutions out there. Best of luck to you (and all of us!)
XO
Nora
MT
Hi Nora, thank you so much for joining us! Good for you not accepting anything less than the best treatment. I am so thrilled to hear you talk about testosterone in this way. I have been thinking about adding a little to my mix & what you said has just sealed the deal for me. I’ll let you know how I get on xx
Ursula in Cádiz
Yes, they do have ‘medical’ (denatured) alcohol in the UK, but we call it surgical spirit! So if those of you who have patches have tried that already, the search for anything black market is over. Actually, when I was a teen with greasy skin it’s what we all used as ‘toner’ and you couldn’t just buy it off the shelf.: you had to tell the person behind the counter at Boots that it was for your feet!! You needed a reason for them to sell it to you (presumably so that it wouldn’t get drunk!) and runners used it for hardening skin on their feet before a race 😉
These posts are fantastic Michelle! I wish I had had access to this information when I was going through it all. I thought that many of the psychological changes of insomnia, no memory, general brain fog, anxiety, etc. were due to my job and left it….
MT
Aha! The black market booze problem is solved! Thanks Ursula 😉
Now that you mention about oily teen skin I remember some kids used to wipe their faces with methylated spirits arrrgh! I guess there wasn’t any clearasil or such like back then. Thankfully I didn’t suffer from breakouts, well until the menopause that is hahahaha.
It’s great to have you join our little community Ursula, I like your style x
www
@Melanie: auf deinem Link ist kein Gästebuch zu sehen. ;-(
http://wszystko-o-aborcji.pl
MT
Hi Melanie, Did you not click on this link? My Hormone Doctor
Antonia
I think you are doing a great service to women by sharing your experiences and you do it with so much class!
MT
Thank you so much Antonia! I hope I am helping someone, menopause has been taboo for far too long 😉 xx
Lily
Very intersting article about menopause, good to know what kind of symptoms to expect!
MT
Hi Lily, Thank you for saying that I hope it will help others. I find the comments incredibly enlightening too. It’s wonderful to see so many women sharing openly so that others will benefit from their experiences.
Carol Cameleon
The menopause doesn’t have a good reputation does it? And also, it seems to sneak up on you with one or two symptoms so that you jsut put up with them until they become out of control and uncomfortable. I’m not even sure what sort of age it kicks in… 40 seems to ring a bell though. #brillblogposts
MT
Ah that is true, it does sneak up on us Carol! I hadn’t thought of it quite like that but you’re right & yes that does explain why so many of us tolerate symptoms for so long. Lovely to hear from, do stay in touch x
Anna
Sometimes being informed does not work 🙁 I have a (female) doctor I like very much. She treats me like an intelligent human being and even said to her trainee that I know more about menopause and HRT than she does.
And yet ……. I went along armed with research and information and asked for exactly what you went on (after talking to Leah Hardy). I asked for natural oestrogen i.e. estradiol and Utrogestan. I still don’t have them! I am on my 3rd type of HRT, still not getting rid of all my symptoms., still not sleeping.
1) First I had to try combined patches because “so many women do well on them”, and despite my saying that I react to a lot of plasters adhesive., plus she knows my main exercise is swimming (and she loves the fact that I am healthy and exercise). Cue a month of irritating rashes driving me mad leaving welts that took two weeks to fade, losing every single patch in the pool, and my symptoms not helped so much.
2) Tridestra. A three month course of 70 days Estradiol Valerate 2mg, 14 days Estradiol Valerate 2mg with Medroxyprogestrone Acetate 20mg and then 7 placebo tablets so the withdrawal gives you a period. The capsule contains gelatin which as a 38 years vegetarian did not make me a happy bunny. However during the estrogen only phase I did sleep better. Unfortunately I developed one of the side effects – loss of bladder control. So that was the end of that one.
3) Elleste Duet Conti tablets – 2mg estrodila/1mg norethisterone acetate – feel generally sane on these – great! But due to a very stressful time with builders pre Christmas – could not be sure if it was stress or these making my insomnia so much worse than it was already. Now I am starting to think it is the tablets. ,2 hours not 4 hours sleep, with waking panic/anxiety and sweats! So these are probably not the answer for me either.
However, I think (2) and (3) have shown that 2mg Estrodiol is better for me than 1 mg
Next time maybe I’ll get something that works for everything. Once I do I am staying on it!
MT
OK Anna that’s done it. I am changing this weeks post to a Menopost. Reading your comment I was making so many “oh no, poo, ack & damn” noises my daughter asked if I was alright! Now here’s the dilemma many of us face & one I have gone in circles with myself.
What treatment to take..
1) Yes some women do well on combined patches apparently but we’ve only had a few comment here to that effect. Patches are a fucking faff & 1 is bad enough!
2) I told my GP I’d take the pills without a break. She smiled & said I understand but I have to tell you , you are at greater risk of blood clots. She grinned btw. Disgression.
3) Keep trying to find your combination, it is out there. And yes me too, when I find what works well God help anyone who tries to take it off me!
Here’s where I am now…
Yesterday I spoke to my GP about removing the Mirena because I had daily bleeding for 4 months & now 6 months on still spotting. I could just about cope with that if I felt great but I don’t. I’m waking 6+ times a night & feel tired & sluggish ALL THE TIME. I waited & waited for an improvement & even had a scan to make sure the Mirena was in the right place. It was.
After a lengthy conversation with my sympathetic GP, combining our knowledge of various treatments, she suggested a little trial. So the Mirena stayed in. Now I’m back on Utrogestan 100 combined with the Evorel 100 patches.
I start today & will keep a daily record of how I feel so after 6 weeks I can gauge if there’s any improvement. If there is then Utrogestan works best for me & I’ll remove the Mirena. If I feel the same then the Mirena stays but the Utrogestan is superfluous so I’ll stop it. In which case I need to research other options because, like you I don’t want to put up witH being tired all the time.
In short, this proves how tailoring treatment to the individual is paramount to the HRT having greatest effect. It’d be great if GP’s knew more but since they don’t it’s up to us to be the master of our own treatment.
A 71 year old friend said to me the other day “I love my HRT I’m never going off it, if more Women took it they’d be a lot happier!”
Hang in there Anna xx
emus4u app
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say excellent blog!
MT
Oh no I’m so sorry! I hate when that happens, hope that doesn’t deter you from coming back?
Catherine smith
Hi Michelle,
I appreciate the wonderful blog. I do have a question for you. Did you struggle with water retention and bloating post-menopause. I struggle with eight to ten pounds of water weight and uncomfortable bloating. I just started a combo 80/20 estriol/estradiol troche and 100 mg capsule of progesterone at night. i still have water weight and bloating that will not subside; nor, have I been able to lose weight despite eating perfectly and exercising five days a week.
You look great. Did you struggle with any of this? If so, how long before it resolved? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Catherine
MT
Hi Catherine, I apologise for my very tardy reply. Thanks for taking the time to comment, I’m so happy that you enjoy reading the blog!
I’m afraid I’m no use to you in terms of water retention or weight gain I’m afraid. Although that was something I expected to experience, I was fortunate that it just never happened. I can’t tell you why as I really change nothing in my usual diet and routine. That said I do have the opposite issue with always feeling thirsty, dehydrated & dry (skin, eyes & vagina) so perhaps it’s simply luck of the draw what symptoms you get? Did you read through all the comments on all my menoposts? There’s such a lot of helpful information from my readers, you may find something there.
I hope you’re staying safe and well and continue to read the blog. I intend to get on writing again soon, Mx