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[Toodle Pips]

Hi, this is my first post although I have been reading the posts for some time now. My story is that I am 54on Saturday and still have regular periods, in fact they are more regular than ever. They were always pretty irregular when I was younger. Anyhow, I have been having night sweats for about three years, digestive problems, and last year I started with anxiety problems. Magnesium helps but it also gives me the runs, big style. I am currently waiting for a one that is less harsh on my stomach. My big problem, apart from the ones mentioned, is that I have been iron deficient for years due to miscarriages and heavy periods. This is not getting any better even though I take iron tablets every day, due to my periods still being so regular.

I went to the docs last year to talk about HRT but she went off on a tangent and got all concerned about me taking so much iron and told me to stop taking it. Well I did, and have now spent months being ill, dizzy and have even had to give up my little self employed job. I have started to take iron again and am going to a new docs. But it is taking ages for my iron levels to get to anything like normal. So this on top of the ruddy anxiety means that I am pretty much housebound as I don't have any energy.

Anyway my question is, am I in Peri menopause, and does taking HRT mean my periods would stop?

Thanks for listening, and sorry about the whinge x

[CLKD]

You whinge!   

Your GP is not following up your problems.  Did you not go back to see someone else with those symptoms?  Have you seen a Consultant with regards the anaemia?  Why would she take you off treatment  .  Annoying that we are told that we can take 1 problem to each appt. but your GP went off at a tangent  .

Yep Magnesium has that effect!  I use it occasionally to ease the cough reflex if I've coughed for months but oh, can't leave the house.  It does work though 

Menopause is literally the last monthly bleed.  However, 4 me it took a few years of intermittent periods, gaps, less bleeding until after about 5 months I realised it had all stopped.  I didn't stop carrying protection for 5 years though  .  The Change comes along with other symptoms sometimes; flushes, aches and pains, anxiety, depression ....... some find keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful.

Have a look-see on your Surgery web-site to see if any of the GPs have taken extra Degrees in Womens' Health or have a chat with your Practice Nurse or Nurse Practitioner.  Decide which symptom you would like to ease first, browse round the site.  Make notes.

[Toodle Pips]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

 I am just in the process of going to a different doctors, but have to register etc. I chose them because they do have a menopause clinic, so hopefully I will get somewhere this time.

The previous doctor didn't even let me explain why I have to take iron. She just said that I am taking too much iron. I as pretty upset with her because she quite easily dolled out tablets to slow my periods down, knowing full well that my dad had had a DVT around my age, which on review, those tablets can cause DVT, but made me stop taking iron, which my body needs. She said I was taking too many supplements. Well maybe I was at that time, but it didn't take long of not taking them to feel really ill again.

Yes magnesium is great and does actually keep most of my symptoms at bay. But as I say I was getting really bad stomach with it, so have had to change. Hoping I can find one that doesn't work as a laxative!

I am just totally fed up that I still have periods. If they stopped I wouldn't have the iron problems I have. There is  o sign of them letting up. I haven't even started to miss one yet.

Oh the joys!

[CLKD]

Let us know how you get on with your new Practice.

[Toodle Pips]

Will do.

Not totally sure if I want to go down the HRT route just yet, seeing as though I have my periods still. And would rather I could get through it all with herbal supplements and healthy eatingif I can. But never say never...

[sheila99]

I am peri too and am on HRT. I had extreme tiredness, anxiety, mood swings, no motivation. I still have days when I'm tired but the anxiety & emotional symptoms have gone. I am on oestrogel/utrogestan and I still have bleeds. In peri your oestrogen levels are declining so you should see an improvement if start HRT. I'd suggest you discuss it with your doctor, but read all you can first because many of them are clueless about symptoms and treatment. I saw 2 different GPs who failed to even consider meno as a possible cause.

[Toodle Pips]

Thank you for your reply Sheila. Yes I have to admit that I have very little faith in doctors but hopefully the new one will be more clued up.

I do worry about taking HRT. I don't even like taking paracetamol let alone anything else. Also this may be a thick question, but once you come off HRT don't the symptoms return anyhow?

But it has to be worth considering if it gets rid of the anxiety and emotions.

Oh to have my life back...

[CLKD]

Toodle Pips - my Uncle used this expression a lot as a term of endearment, I miss him 

Read through.  Make notes.  Then if the herbal supplements don't ease symptoms as you require then you will know more about HRT.  Forget anything you have read or been told about cancer 'risks'.  Quality of Life is important.

If I am ill I have to take appropriate medication, regardless.  I don't have any choice about it: headache - immediately or I feel queasy; ADs and anti-anxiety meds..  It took a while to accept as well as to find out what suited me enough to ease my symptoms but currently, I am quite O.K..

[Toodle Pips]

That's great advice, thank you.

I have been using mindfulness and meditation today to help with the bit of anxiety I had this morning, and I feel a whole lot more positive. So that's good. Every little helps 

Sorry about your uncle  xx

[CLKD]

He was of a good age.  He helped raise me for the first few years .........

I found relaxation therapy useful in the 1990s.  If I could find time to practice  - I would sit down with the tapes [remember those] and a cat would sit on my lap  and we would drop off to sleep 

[Toodle Pips]

 :)yes that is what happens to me.

Unfortunately I have all the time in the world due to being exhausted. Pretty fed up of having to sit around. Had a fairly decent day yesterday, but today am shattered again and feeling light headed again. I guess the fact I have just finished another heavy period is setting in. I can't really do much more than sit about. I have a little volunteering job, looking after animals, which I adore. But I haven't been for weeks due to having no energy and I dare not drive as I keep getting lightheaded. It could be the iron, it could be my ears, which I am also having bother with. It could be that I am dehydrated due to the magnesium making me have a bad stomach for weeks. Sadly, the only appointment I could get was later in the month. Oh well...

[Hurdity]

Hi Toodle Pips

I'm not sure if I've said on another thread as I'm so busy and not on here much and can't remember who I've welcomed!

Anyway just to say if your periods are regular then you are not yet peri-menopausal. This is defined as starting once there is a difference in your cycle length by around 1 week between cycles ie starting to become pretty irregular.

That being the case HRT is probably not appropriate at this point although some women do say it has helped them. Not sure why you would be getting night sweats but i presume you have been checked out for other causes by the doc ( blood sugar problems, thyroid function etc?) to rule out other explanations? Unfortunately even before peri-menopause, some unlucky women do find that some menopausal symptoms such as night sweats do begin - because there are some hormonal changes before periods become irregular. Many women find in this last stage before peri - that PMS begins to worsen. In younger women the CCP can help especially the gentler ones that are similar to HRT but over 50 you wouldn't be prescribed this.

Not sure what else I can suggest apart from the general advice re sweats - if you're overweight ( ie too much fat rather than muscle)  then try to lose some, take more exercise, reduce caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol, wear natural fabrics etc....once your periods go wonky then you will benefit from HRT if no medical reason why not.

Re the iron - I swear by Floradix liquid - it's a natural herbal forumlation and very gentle on the stomach.  You can get it from H & B. Athough I am not iron deficient - due to my age ( 65) and the fact that I still have a cycle on HRT (ie a bleed!) - about once a week I try to remember to take a dose to ensure I don't become deficient!

Not sure why you're taking magnesium? I would ditch any supplements like that - as you say they're probably affecting your digestive system and you are excreting most of them.

re anxiety - try mental strategies to cope for the time being and look at sites like nomorepanic. Great that you've been using mindfulness and meditation (rather than medication!).

If you are fed up with bleeding then have you thought of a Mirena coil? This will very quickly reduce the severe bleeding thereby reducing your need for iron and then if your night sweats do not have another cause - you could try a low dose oestrogen patch (eg 25 mcg Estradot) and see if it helped.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x