Thanks for being so supportive ladies, and patient!
I'm 52 and a bit, no period for at least 20 months. Before periods stopped, they were regular every 25 days but with tremdous headaches/migraines just before periods for the last few years.
I tried fem seven medium dose continuous patch in January but the headaches were so severe I stopped for 6 weeks - after two weeks of 'cold turkey' I felt fantastic - best I've felt for years! Some hormone or other was still in my system and doing me the world of good!! But which one? Then it slowly ebbed away....
I'm very aware of how fortunate I've been with meno symptoms compared to many of you so why did I want to try it?
Main reason was extreme tiredness (not thyroid, that had been checked) I didn't know if I could continue my job. I teach (part time) so I tend to go by school terms, up to October half term I was feeling fantastic, then wham! I felt tired and just 'awful' I can't explain it more than that.
Dryness down below - sex the past 2 years it has been very painful. Tried vagifem and it made it too 'plumped up' down there!. Overstin is ok but gives a bit of an odour after a while....
Skin - prone to ezcema and felt like my skin breaking down and would it last the rest of my life
Cholesterol - keeps increasing despite good diet and exercise
Lightheadedness - constantly feeling slightly lightheaded
Sweats - I had awful night sweats, almost constantly but these have reduced, so have the hot flushes; they tend to be more cyclical now
I'm good weight for height, exercise diet etc all good. The extreme stresses in my life previously have reduced lately. I take Menopace.
I found when I first took fem seven (full patch and the quarter) that I felt really really irritable, like just before a period...
So my main reason was tiredness and feeling awful, dryness, skin, light headed, sweats. Am I just trying to have my cake and eat it?
Thanks for listening x