Hi ladies
I'm a new member to this site. I had my last period in January 2013, so I'm definitely in the post menopause now.
I had an urgent referral to Gynaecology for post menopausal bleeding (PMB). The ultrasound confirmed that I had endometrial thickness of 2.4mm and normal sized ovaries. I was due for a smear in 2013 but I had to abandon it because the pain of being opened by the speculum was unbearable. The nurse at the GP's who does the smears said it was due to the menopause but I thought it was due to the nurse being too rough! Anyway, I had to abandon it and I said I'd try another appointment but I let it drift, which I really regret now.
Anyway, I had a smear last week at my Gynae appointment, the same time as the scan. They had to use a very small speculum and the doctor advised me that the sample may have been inadequate due to me writhing and screaming with the pain. It really was awful. So the practice nurse that attempted my smear in 2013 was right after all. She said the cervix looked normal but I'm still feeling a bit stressed about what this bleeding actually is. By the time I got home I was red raw and I bled a bit as a result of the trauma of the examination.
The consultant said she would refer me to the menopause clinic. There was also another doctor observing her and both were in agreement that my problems are due to low oestrogen and that local HRT applications might help, but nothing was prescribed.
Whilst waiting for my referral, I decided I'd use Replens, but shock of shock, when I used it the other day I had a smear of bright red blood on the applicator and some bleeding afterwards. I phoned the GP, but there was no nurse or any of the female GPs on duty, but I did manage to speak to one of the male GPs, told him about my appointment at Gynae etc, and he says, wait for the result of the smear and take it from there.
Obviously I'm worried because everyone says PMB is abnormal (hence the urgent referral) so you think the worst, don't you?
The consultant says the menopause can make the vaginal walls very fragile and bleed easily, but on the other hand she also says PMB is not normal either, so it's very confusing when it happens to you.
I've always had normal smears and I always attended my appointments when I got the reminder but quite honestly, the pain was unbearable two years ago and I let it drift as a consequence. Over 50s are recalled every 5 years, so the consultant wasn't that bothered about being late for this smear because my last successful smear was in 2010, so I was on the cusp of going on to the 5 year recall anyway.
Now back to the menopause clinic! Obviously, this vaginal atrophy has to be addressed. Obviously penetrative sex is a no-no and that's not much fun for a married women. I've been plagued with repeated urine infections since late last year after having no cystitis at all for maybe 30 years - the consultant said the HRT applications should help with that too. I was also diagnosed as having 'major osteopenia' in 2013 at the age of 51, with T-scores of 2.3 and 2.4, so that's not good either. From what I've read about the menopause clinic on the hospital website, they also take referrals for osteoporosis and osteopenia, so I intend to get the most out of my attendance at the meno clinic.
My biggest worry right now is the PMB, but I'm also taken aback at how women of our age just don't get the right help and the right advice for VA and other menopause-related conditions. I'm thinking about something Tracey Emin said about women over-50 are supposed to become invisible, and that is so true!
