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[marras]

Hi Ladies, very good article in the  Daily Mail today entitled 'Trapped in a never ending menopause'.  It's all about it being generally considered that symptoms of the menopause are expected to only last a few years, when in fact, for some, it can go on for two decades. Includes a few case histories.  As someone who is still experiencing menopausal symptoms after 11 years, it is heartening to see it brought to attention that the misery can go on and on and on and on..........!

[rosie c]

Yes... The daily mail has done a few articles recently on menopause... the most interesting one I thought was about Bio- identical hormones. (even mentions this website)  Sorry couldnt get the link... but its on their online health section. x

[Morwenna]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2506911/Trapped-ending-menopause-For-women-misery-change-TWO-DECADES.html

[Bomber]

Thanks Marras. Very helpful to share even if it is bit of a depressing read.

[daisie]

 hi marras.it sure has for me gone on and on,i remember when I first started the menopause I was 46 ,im now 58 ,iv been going through it without hrt ,the symptoms have been realy bad over the years,im still not over it yet ,

[Hurdity]

Thanks for the link

It is worrying to hear of stories like the women portrayed, who have been through early menopause and not taken HRT -as one woman says - she didn't want to put artificial hormones into her body.

Hopefully nowadays the advice will get through about how important it is to replace oestrogen when having an early menopause and that mostly, if you choose carefully, the hormones are not artificial.

My one gripe with article like this is that it gives a negative impression - so the writer hasn't countered the arguments by saying the above (eg re HRT types available and early menopause)

Hurdity x

[Meg]

Read the article from this posting and found it very depressing.  I find everything from the Daily Mail is depressing.  Like many women I am finding the symtoms are going on and on and many doctors are not helping enough.  I really dont know whether anti-depressants are an answer but guess we all have to find an answer for ourselves.   I think women are pretty desperate for there to be some relief.

Meg

[Taz2]

Although it can be depressing I think it's a good idea to get the fact that for some women menopause can be a really difficult and long lasting journey more well known. Hopefully the next generation of women will be able to challenge doctors decisions and hold out for the treatment they need and this will only happen if everyone is more aware of how life changing the menopause can be. Sadly although we may feel that in this day and age there is a "cure" for everything it's not always the case.

Have you been down the HRT or antidepressant route Meg? I'm sorry you are still suffering.

Taz 

[Meg]

Thanks for your words of sympathy Taz.  My GP says I am too old for HRT at 59.  In truth I am like a lot of women and undecided, the progestin I tried in my early fifties was intolerable to me and it was 10mg of duphaston for 2 weeks.  Also tried northisterone in a conti regime which was also intolerable. GP has given me a prescription for fluoxetine 20 mg capsules but I am very very undecided about this route.  I feel I defo dont want to plunge into 20mg capsule, am worried about side-effects.  I could not stand nausea as I have suffered with this as part of the menopause package of symptoms!  If I went onto ad's I would have to take a lower dose and I couldn't do that with these capsules.  This is where I am at at present.  I do have beta-blockers which I take when I need to and stemetil for nausea when it comes on.  I do think the ladies in the DM article were very brave for coming out in public to speak up credit to them.

[Chrislm]

On a slightly different note, the article also states that the average age that women start the menopause is 52. Surely that isn't right! I thought that the average age that women have their last period is 50 so they are classed as having gone through the menopause by the age of 51.

I actually think this is quite important.

When I started getting symptoms a few years ago at about 47 I didn't think it was the perimenopause because I thought women went through the meno in their 'mid 50s'. When I started chatting to friends, I found that most thought the same. Yet most of us had started getting symptoms in our mid to late 40s.

I am sure women in their mid to late 40s would feel better knowing that the strange things that start happening to them long before your periods stop are very common. It just doesn't seem to be talked about openly enough even amongst women themselves.

[JJ]

That's pretty depressing 

[Hurdity]

Meg - Re being too old to start HRT - there have been a lot of discussions about this recently and in response to questions from you I believe as well?

If you truly want to re-start HRT then it really is up to you to go to your doctor with as much up to date information that you can get and if s/he won't prescribe it then it is your right to be referred to a specialist (is there a menopause clinic near you?), or try to find a sympathetic doctor in your practice.

Personally I would not ever use Anti-depressants for menopause symptoms caused by a hormonal deficiency unless there were medical reasons why I could not take HRT, and I can understand your worries. The side effects could be a lot worse than progestogenic ones.

I am sure I have already suggested that you could try using progesterone as your progestogen - ie the bio-identical one which is micronised progesterone - marketed as Utrogestan. If you are very progesterone intolerant then you may get negative side effects even from this, and such women find that the only way they can tolerate HRT is by having a cycle so that time on progestogens is kept to a minimum.

Chrislm - you questioned a specific point but it's just semantics really. Menopause is defined as the date of the last period which can only be identified in retrospect ( and not at all if you start HRT!). Therefore if your last period is at age 50 that is when you reach menopause. The time leading up to the the peri-menopause - which can be short or as much as 10 years - some women call "going through the menopause" . On this site it states that the average age of natural menopause is 51 years - so this would be the date of the last natural period ( but you wouldn't know it was until you got to age 52 without another period) Hope that clarifies? 

I agree little is known of or talked about re peri-menopause and yes women should be made aware that symptoms could be experienced in early 40's even for a menopause say at 49.

Hurdity x