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[Ljp]

I have a friend who is 43, she has been having night sweats and hot flushes and brain fog for some time, and has seen her GP, he said she is too young to be menopausal, but offered blood test to check her FSH levels, she had to have her bloods taken 3-5 days before her period was due.

Her results have come back 'fine' words of doctor receptionist.

She is confused now, and worried it's all in her head!

[CLKD]

Nope.  Go to her GP and explain that menopause can begin at any age, even as young as 20s 

Most Gynaes go on symptoms rather than blood tests because those are reliably unreliable 

[walking the dog]

Agree with clkd I was 44 and there's plenty ladies on here younger than that, my gp didn't do any blood tests as told me they unreliable she just listened to my symptoms

[CLKD]

My friend's daughter went into early menopause after her 1st and only period aged 16 

[Tinkerbell]

My cousin was 37 and I know someone else who had their last period in their thirties.

[babyjane]

Drs receptionists ought not be giving out results.  Ours won't/can't.  We have to ring a designated office number to speak to a nurse practitioner unless the results have flagged by a doctor in which case we are asked to make an appointment.

[breeze]

I agree.  Symptoms can easily start at that age.  Unfortunately that does not mean they will be over quicker.
It was over 10 years until I had my last period

[Ljp]

So what should she do? It seems she's been passed off as fine by her GP 😡

[CLKD]

Go to her Practice Nurse?  Or go back to the GP and explain about MM Forum and how she is aware that she is approaching menopause - point out to the GP that there is *no* 'right' time for peri-menopause!

[Dorothy]

Might be worth asking the GP why the Daisy Network exists if 43 is too young to be menopausal!!!!

Keep pushing, point out the unreliability of blood tests and the symptoms she is experiencing.

I started getting symptoms at 35, wasn't diagnosed until I was 39 - if I hadn't changed GP, I'd probably still be hearing there was 'nothing wrong'.  It's really important she keeps pushing for a diagnosis.  I started off with period fluctuations, hot flushes, aches & pains etc, but by the time I was finally diagnosed four years later, I was getting a lot of vaginal pain (fortunately under control now with Ovestin, but it could have been a lot worse and the last couple of months before I got treatment were horrible!)

[Ljp]

Thank you for the replies, what might she be offered at her age? HRT? Or something else?

[Dorothy]

I'm on birth control pill instead of HRT as my GP says it's better for me as it overrides the natural cycle so you don't get so many fluctuations.  And it's also a higher dose which she says is important for younger women.  I also like it as many of my friends are on it for contraception, so I don't feel so much the odd one out as I would if I were on HRT!!!

[Ljp]

Can I ask your age Dorothy?
Not sure if BCP would or should be offered at 43?

[Dorothy]

It would depend on any other health risks, e.g. smoker, high blood pressure, family history of hormone-related cancer.  I'm 41 now and my GP is happy for me to stay on BCP until I'm 50 as I'm low risk.  When I'm 50, she says I should come off it and see how many (if any) symptoms I get before deciding whether or not to try HRT.

I'd recommend that your friend read up on the various options before visiting her GP so she has a good idea of what is available.  My first GP totally dismissed my concerns.  The second one was much more helpful and diagnosed me as perimenopausal, but admits she doesn't know much about the menopause, so it's often a case of me making suggestions!  So it does help if you have a vague idea of what might be right for you - just make sure you put it tactfully, along the lines of 'someone I know has found this helpful - do you think it might work for me?' !!! For example, I was having 3 weeks on and one off for the BCP and the week I wasn't taking it was terrible.  Then I read on the forum about other ladies taking the pill back to back, so went back to the GP and she agreed that I could take 3 packs back to back before a break!