Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Annidav]

Hi I am nearly 50 and for the past few years have been suffering from hot flushes, insomnia, anxiety, depression, palpitations, breathlessness, however it was only last year after suffering from horrendous panic attacks and overhearing someone discussing menopause that I looked into it and realised I must have been going through this all that time - I went to my GP who agreed with me (but I have never had any tests done); several years ago I had an ablation process and was sterilised at the same time; I haven't had any periods since. So my question is how do I know if I am peri-menopause, mid menopause or post menopause?

[CLKD]

I was sterilised but still had periods.  They became less, gradually disappearing after about 2 years of peri.  Could you have been plunged into early menopause?

Blood tests are reliably unreliable  .  It is better to keep a mood/food diary and chart symptoms, so that you have something to chat with your GP about.

Ovaries generally still produce small amounts of oestrogen, hence the flushes; anxiety is 'common' too, there are several threads here!

Browse round, 

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to MM Annidav
You GP should probably have done blood tests sooner to see where you are in your meno journey - if several tests are done throughout a couple of months then this can give a better picture of what is going on.  An ablation doesn't usually mean your periods stop completely  - I believe they do return after a while if you are still ovulating; even if you have been sterilised the ovaries would still be functioning?? If your ovaries had stopped producing oestrogen then this would be ovarian failure and sends you into menopause. Though Blood tests can be unreliable the FSH level is often a good indicator of menopause even if you oestrogen levels are reasonably high.  I would have thought all the symptoms your are having would be enough to show you need some HRT!!!??? Do browse around the site, especially under TREATMENTS at the top of this page to get clued up. DG x

[CLKD]

   DG!

If anxiety over-whelms as your GP for either a Valium-type 'as necessary' drug or BBs which can ease anxiety surges.  Also, eating every 3 hours can ease anxiety surges - that is every 3 hours 24/7!

Have a browse, make notes