Hi Everyone ,
Over the past few years I have read various very useful comments from this site and finally decided to add my past experiences of seeking help and reading up on the subject of the menopause .
I am now in my late 50's, started the menopause early , last period was at the age of 45. I have had no children, still have my womb- no operations. I took the pill from the age of 18 with several years of breaks .I have a career spanning over 30 years. I battle with my weight [overweight ] and I am constantly doing the best I can to avoid any path that leads to diabetes type 2.
I am one of the 28% of women who struggled going through the menopause and tried many natural /herbal helpers for the 1st couple of years ,as not wanting any more synthetic hormones in my body [HRT ] .To be honest they did not help and from desperation after 3 years I finally succumbed to HRT tablets [ Dr was encouraging ]. within days I felt like a new woman . I tried several drugs and found the best for me Angelique. After 5 years my GP, much to my protest took me off HRT . I crashed really badly, mentally and physically I was really depressed and felt suicidal , my body literally cramped up, I had lost all strength physically and mentally everything was grey, my interest had gone from every aspect of my life, life didn't seem worth living . I thank god for my husband who supported me , but he was as confused as I was at times with the impact of the lack of hormones on my mental and physical state. After 4 visits to 4 different practice FEMALE GPS and being offered everything from sleeping tablets to anti depressants,[ which I didn't take , as I was not depressed!] I realised their knowledge was very limited and I would have to look elsewhere for help... Mid life crisis , turning to drink , the mad middle aged aunt , all made sense resulting from a fluctuation in hormones ..imagine 150 years ago I may have been admitted to bedlam ……
As this had such a major impact on me personally, I warned any female I knew about the menopause [mad middle aged woman]. luckily a nurse mentioned that a few hospitals in the UK still have menopause clinics , after a search I found Chelsea and Westminster London . I asked my GP for a referral and so began my journey with the clinic of Dr Panay .
As a new member , I am stopping here to see if this message does post in the forum . to be continued...………………………..
