Menopause: How has it affected your life?

Hello ladies,

How are you doing today? Have you seen this older discussion? 

How did you experience menopause? Did you have any particular symptoms? How long did they last? Did you pursue any treatments like hormone therapy? How are you doing now?
@Loujayne‍ @HeidiAMIMI‍ @Karenmcc‍ @MooMoo‍ @JaxB1911‍ @JJ1973‍ @Davward‍ @Dermazeam‍ @battler45‍ @GillWil‍ @Kgleave‍ @DS1964‍ @annpmunday‍ @KPangela‍ @Kgleave‍ @cathyhanlan64‍ @DS1964‍ 

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences here!

Take care,
Courtney

 Hi all, 

I started with menapause at 43 and it was 10 years before the hot flushes disturbed sleep and mood swings finally stopped. The first few years everything  happened  following my cycle, though eventually in the last couple of years it was very unpredictable which was harder to deal with in some ways.

I couldn't go on HRT as my blood pressure wasn't stable enough. But eventually my mood swings were so bad I went to my GP and he was very understanding and he suggested I went on prosac and within a month I was so much better , I was on them until a few months after everything completely stopped. 

My menopause started at 45 and I had the same sort of experience as George17, my symptoms started off very cyclical but with time became more and more unpredictable until they finally petered out.  I had hot flashes, my became very dry, and I would wake up very early in the morning around 3 or 4! I also would have these incredibly waves of emotion (mood swings I get) where my eyes would well up all of the sudden over nothing. I think that and the hot flashes were the hardest for me.

I didn't consider HRT because I have a family history of high blood pressure and to be honest I couldn't be bothered to go through the wait and appointments to get a prescription. I just sort of rode the waves and tried to be patient with myself and my body and accept that it's a natural part of life.

I decided not to have children due to my difficulty with epilepsy and had a full hysterectomy in my 30's. My gynaecologist was a wonderful person and gave me good advice through it all. She explained that I might go into early menopause, which I did, and would have to go onto HRT as soon as that happened. I was initially given oestrogen implants until these weren't available in Zimbabwe, then oestrogen patches were tried. I was allergic to these in the end, so was put on Premarin. 

I don't recall any serious problems with HRT, apart from the usual hot flushes, odd emotional outbursts and hormonal episodes which affected my seizures, and also the lack of sleep. I was on Premarin for several years until I relocated from South Africa three years' ago. I was immediately taken off it by the doctors here in Northern Ireland and told I didn't need it.

When diagnosed with Osteoporosis in 2018, only then was I told the damage it could cause to one's bone structure, i.e. lack of oestrogen, together with all the years of epilepsy medication that I was taking.