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[CassieH]

Hello

[joziel]

It’s good, health wise. It means longer exposure to your own hormones.

It’s going to be difficult with the mirena to know if you are menopausal as your bleeding will be changed by that. So be on the lookout for little symptoms and signs that might be low estrogen.

Have you had bloods done and is your FSH still low?

You should be having whatever mammograms are recommended, starting age 50. Not more frequent.

[Dotty]

Hi Carole there’s a thread on here all about late menopause. I’ll try and find it for you. x

[sheila99]

You're not alone there are many of us with a late menopause. The way I see it it's an advantage as we have oestrogen for longer. The only drawback has been doctors who don't believe me, there seems to be a textbook somewhere that says everyone is meno at 54. Some are in their early sixties before they're meno.

[CLKD]

Morning. 

Peri-menopause are the years leading to the final period = menopause.  My periods waxed and waned when I was about 48  ..... for several years.  I've been fortunate in not suffering too many symptoms!

Browse round.  Make notes.  We discuss most things on the Forum, even menopause 

[CLKD]

U are being received, Loud and Clear ......... go to your profile and press 'see posts' (I think).  Profile box white on blue above.  Clear as mud on a hot day?

[joziel]

My FSH is still low (4) - yet I had every single symptom in the book from low estrogen. Admittedly, I was on desogestrel POP which suppresses estrogen levels - but still.... you can have these symptoms and yet still officially not be menopausal yet. The two things don't necessarily go together because hormones fluctuate during peri...

[Dotty]

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,36765.0.html

This is the post / thread I was thinking about x

[CLKD]

They ask those two questions are routine probably because of the old research that made suggestions that HRT might cause breast disease and if implants are in situ, films have to be taken in a different way so that they don't pop 

Don't panic!  Why would a late menopause increase those risks?  Oestrogen keeps heart and bone structures healthy.  If you've had the ovarian cancer screening you should be OK. 

[CLKD]

Some of the NHS routine screenings are stopped after certain age levels although we can continue to request them.  Probably due to research finding out that certain diseases are less likely to be problematic after a certain age.

Let us know how you get on.

[joziel]

Carole, I hope you take this the right way and aren't offended - it's meant to be reassuring - but really, you're not in some kind of totally different category of women 

Everyone goes through menopause (if they live long enough). And everyone has a before and after that. Whenever it happens.

When it happens is a bit irrelevant (besides the fact that you get your own hormones for longer) - you will still face similar situations to other women, just later than they have. It doesn't mean their experiences are somehow not relevant to you.

For eg, when you say re Davina and Louise Newson telling people they need estrogen - "  I love them both to bits and I’m sure they are very informative for the vast majority of ladies but in a way they have alienated late onsetters as it is never mentioned. "

They don't really mention it, because it's not a problem. You will still need your estrogen, just later than others. Menopause happens at different times for different women. I am 44yo and quite early. There are many women who are 55yo and, in terms of hormones are in a similar place to me - but I don't see the situation as me being in a totally different category.

We all go through the process, just at different times/ages and it's a bit irrelevant what those ages are - the process itself and hormone levels are more important than what age you are.

Lastly, you are not at increased risk of anything due to having estrogen longer. Just like you wouldn't be if you were on HRT either. As someone else says, those questions they ask at breast-screening are really outdated and irrelevant and risk worrying women unnecessarily. I predict they will stop asking that soon. Unless they are doing some huge study or something, but even then they are not differentiating between women on body identical hormone HRT and women on synthetic hormones, so it's not really going to help us much in terms of risk.

And no, the Mirena is not considered HRT without adding in estrogen as well. It would be considered either contraception or management for heavy bleeding. If you wanted, you could easily ask your GP for some estrogel and try a squirt of it a day and just see how you feel and if it helps with the brain fog. You are on the Mirena, so you are covered for progesterone up to 100mcg patch or 4 pumps of estrogel at least, so you have the freedom to experiment with it if you ever wanted. If it doesn't help yet, then stop for now.

[CLKD]

We R a Mine of Info ......... 

[sheila99]

It was Davina who made me realise my symptoms were due to peri, aged 57 at the time (unlike my gp who offered ads). She doesn't have time to go onto every nuance but imo she's relevant for women and men of any age, everyone should have at least a basic knowledge of meno.

[CLKD]

I think that could be similar throughout my menstruating years ....... I kept it quiet.  Pain was intense but I never said much due to the off handed reactions, as well as not telling male teachers.

Also I knew about 'the change' but not the possible effects.  As with VA, we need to talk a lot more.

[joziel]

Oh right. Well, you're not a freak and neither is anyone with very early menopause either. Everyone is unique. By the way, maybe think of your late menopause as your super-power(!) rather than making you a freak.