Thank you so much for your replies, I really appreciate your thoughts and comments.
![Smiley :)](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/smiley.gif)
KatieLiz, the separate beds thing will probably be a permanent thing as my husband also snores and we are lucky enough to have the room in our house for this. It is something that doesn't really get talked about on the whole as the impression is that you don't have a happy marriage, but that is far from the truth.
Dancinggirl, I was originally referred to a gyne specialist after my husband came with me to my GP due to very long term period problems. (I was pretty much ignored before that). It was typical that by the time I saw the specialist I was going through one of my period free times and in all honesty the age I was I thought that I was finished with them then. He did actually say that if my GP would not prescribe HRT once I had been period free for 3 months then I was welcome to go back to see him. In hindsight I wish I had insisted on further investigation into my periods many years ago. I was simply prescribed medication (mefanemic acid) which didn't help a great deal and damanged my stomach as no lansoprazole was prescribed at the same time and I need to take this every day now. My period I am having now is very heavy and painful, like they were over the last couple of years and if every month is going to be like this I think I would rather suffer the sleep deprivation. It was actually such a joy to be period free for the last 7+ months. Prior to seeing the specialist I had been given an internal scan due to bladder problems and everything was apparently fine. My GP's specialism is actually gyneacology so if I don't get any satisfaction when I go back (with my husband again - as I know how this works now) I will ask to be referred back to the hospital. I will give it another month but I cannot see me lasting if I have another period like this next month.
I wasn't offered any other alternative by my GP at point of prescription and I held off taking the tablets once I saw comments on this site about Prempak C, but in the end things were too much. In between times I tried vagifem for the vaginal symptoms which did help (although I got thrush) but obviously didn't help with the night sweats etc. I have also tried the Menopace tablets for over 2 months in the past with little effect.
Cubagirl, your idea of a diary is very good and I will start this straight away and try to actually look back at the sequence of events over the last few years.
I do think I may need stronger medication and patches are more appealing to me than pill popping, but I will post an update in a couple of weeks.
Thanks again everyone, it's amazing how many ladies are struggling. PS my cousin, who is close in age to me, was refused HRT as she is a smoke and has broken both her wrists and an ankle due to osteoporosis and I don't fancy that happening to me!